


Deception ❅ Fate: The Winx Saga

by Bellabee1734



Series: Eira Wynter Chronicles [1]
Category: Fate: The Winx Saga (TV), Winx Club
Genre: Alfea (Winx Club), Alfea College, Earth, Elements, Erakylon, F/M, Fairies, Fire, Firstworld, Ice, Otherworld, Solaria, Water, air, burned ones, fairy magic, mind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29550462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellabee1734/pseuds/Bellabee1734
Summary: ❅ DECEPTION --- give an appearance or impression different from the true one; often misleading."So what? You're like the Walmart Elsa?""I prefer Dreamworks Jack Frost, but I guess I'll take what I can get."(SKY OF ERAKLYON x OC)STARTED: 1/28/21ENDED: (TBD)STATUS: ONGOING
Relationships: Aisha | Layla & Bloom & Terra Harvey & Musa & Stella, Beatrix & Dane & Riven (Winx Club), Bloom & Stella (Winx Club), Bloom (Winx Club)/Original Character(s), Sam Harvey/Musa, Sky (Winx Club)/Original Character(s)
Series: Eira Wynter Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171010
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Prologue

3:00 AM, DECEMBER 21, 2004. REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND. 

A newborn's wails echo down the halls of Landspítali Hospital. The screams chilling as cold as scraping metal, frightening the inhabitants of the hospital. The wails carry, and suggest something could go wrong at any moment. 

At the end of the hall, the door of room 1706 creaks open. The movement inside causing the shadows in the hall to dance, as light filters through the doorway.

Inside the room, a mother reclines. Her back aching, resting against the propped-up bed. Her blue eyes droop as the exhaustion starts taking over, and her blonde hair rests in a messy bun on the top of her head. The sounds of the Icelandic news blast through the TV. The moonbeams lighting the night sky reflecting off the floor of the hospital room.

The mother waits to hold her newborn baby, who got rushed away by the doctors moments ago. She yearns to hold her baby in her hands and feel her baby's heartbeat; to know the hours of labor were worth it. 36 Hours; It took that long for the screaming joy to arrive. 

The Icelandic doctors rush around the room. All conversing in the native language. The mother of the newborn tilts her head in confusion. Her head resting weakly on the pillow. The mother herself doesn't speak the native language, as she is from England, but she picked up some during her travels.

All she could pick up from the doctor's urged conversation is one word; Ice.

❊❊❊

A father awaits in a dully lit waiting room with waterlily flowers, his girlfriend's favorite, resting in his hand. The grey walls of the Iceland hospital are anything but comforting; blue stripes run down the walls of the hospital in a taunting manner. The reception desk empty, with no one in sight. A telly that hangs on the wall flickers, playing an Iceland sitcom. The same halls the father was born, his baby now born.

The father stretches his back in the stiff plastic chair, sitting on the edge of the seat. His cleanly cut brown hair messy on his head, and blue eyes worn. He felt his palm's heat as stress overtook his body; leaning back in the worn chair, resting the palms of his hands on his knees. His hands hot to the touch. Almost burning.

The father lived in Iceland for as long as he could remember. His mother, a fire fairy, moved to be away from the trauma of the Otherworld. He didn't blame his mother for the decision. His time at Alfea college showed him the horrors of the Otherworld. The unfairly run kingdom of Solaria, the burned ones, the wars, the blood witches. All of it is a shit show. He's glad that his girlfriend agreed to raise their child here in the Firstworld.

His girlfriend, a kind water fairy he met during an Alfea college class, had lost her dad to an accident involving the burned ones. It left her broken to lose her rock, her mentor. So, she was anything but reluctant to raise their baby in the Firstworld.

"Mr. Wynter?"

Mr. Wynter's head shoots up at the sound of his name. In front of him stands a nurse in comforting teddy bear scrubs. He assumes she must work in the pediatric unit. She's one of the few English-speaking nurses in the unit, so she acts as an interpreter; Mr. Wynter doesn't need a translator, but his English girlfriend does.

Mr. Wynter stands up. Looking at the nurse for any news.

"Your girlfriend and baby are both healthy. The baby had complications in the beginning, but they're smile and giggles, now."

"Can I see them?"

"Of course, follow me."

Mr. Wynter follows behind the nurse, looking at his hands.

Both of their shoes squeak against the tiled floor of the hospital; the squealing of nurses restocking crash-carts, and the clatter of the late shift janitors resound across the halls. The hospital smells of expired bleach and alcohol, not a pleasant combo.

Mr. Wynter plays with his hands, the bouquet under his arm. He is nervous, no doubt; about having no clue what powers this child will possess. And honestly? He'd prefer if the baby has no powers.

The nurse, knocking on the door of room 1706, knocks Mr. Wynter out of his thoughts. When he looks up from his feet, his girlfriend smiles his way. In his girlfriend's arms rests, a little bundle of joy.

Mr. Wynter takes big strides toward his girlfriend and baby. Now standing at his girlfriend's side, he admires his baby.

"It's a girl." His girlfriend whispers. She smiles with tears clouding her eyes.

Mr. Wynter felt tears come to his eyes. Looking down at his daughter, he smiles a watery smile. His daughter opens her icy-blue eyes, yawning. Little tufts of white hair sprawling on her head. He smiles at his daughter. She is beautiful.

"Eira Wynter."

❊❊❊

The family of three sat surrounding the little hospital bed, Mom sleeping soundly with a little snore.

Baby Eira lays on her back in her little bassinet, wanting to eat. Of course, her parents didn't know, but she is going to let them.

"Waaaahhhh." The sound of Eira's cries resound throughout the little hospital room. Mom jolts awake to the cries. Dad still sleeps soundly in the armchair in the corner.

"Awww. Little Eira." The mom coos. "You hungry?"

Mom picks up Eira from the little bassinet, but Eira's screaming continues. She tries her best to comfort Eira. 

What happens next, shocks the family.

Out from baby Eiras' hand's shoots out a frosty mist, completely freezing the blanket that covers her.

"Mark!" The mom panics.

Mark Wynter pops up from his deep sleep and looks at the scene in front of him. Eira is wailing in Genevieve's arms. A frosty mist surrounding her hands. The blanket that covers Eira, now frozen solid. He looks panicked. How is this possible? A fire fairy and a water fairy making a winter fairy? Winter Fairies don't exist; they are a myth to scare fairy kids. 

Little did the Wynter family know—their lives would change forever, and so would the lives of those in the Otherworld.


	2. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 1: 𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖑𝖉 (1)

16 YEARS LATER. Alfea College, Solaria.

Eira Wynter is nervous, and when I mean nervous, I mean cry nervous. 

It's her first day at Alfea, the magnificent college for fairies. The best school in the otherworld. The beautiful campus that her parents say is remarkable.

Eira doesn't think it's praiseworthy, but that's because she can see through her parents' white lies. There's something about Alfea, she can't describe it. Her parents say the school is comparable to Disneyland; when it really compares to a haunted house, a hall of terrors, etc. The building towers over her in intimidation; dust covers the side of the building. Shutters look like they're going to fall off, and Eira notices the looming shadows through the windows.

Alfea is huge. She would give them that. Eira's prone to get lost.

Eira feels the dread slither up her chest, treading through the gates; her hands tucked in her jacket pockets. She put a fake smile on her face in a burst of confidence. The first days are always the same; nerves and embarrassing moments. She's always embarrassing herself, kinda like now; she assumes she looks so lost.

Around the courtyard of Alfea, fairies and specialists are meeting after the lengthy pause for summer. Bags hauled behind them all. Kids fool with their magic for amusement, while others speak with friends. The green of the courtyard is well maintained, and rock pathways are clear. Eira stops by the side of the building, pulling out an ancient map. The map is dated to be from her parents' time, 1980 something. It is well drawn, but doesn't look very accurate.

Eira hopes and prays she doesn't get lost. Being a legacy. Her parents, Mark and Genevieve Wynter, are well known at the school; her dad for being a Defender, and her mom for being an Olympic swimmer. They were one of the first alumni to move to the Firstworld. Her grandparents are known, too. Her grandma is the great-granddaughter to one of the last Winter Fairies, and her grandpa a commander. They also live in the Firstworld. Eira's whole family does.

The girl sees her destination on the map. She closes the map, shoving it into her pocket, and walks towards Fairy Hall, told to meet Stella, a second year, at the gates. That's where she stands now. The issue is, is Stella is nowhere in sight, and Eira's patience is wearing thin. The girl pulls out her phone, scrolling through Instagram. She figures she'd look like she knows what she is doing. Fake it till you make it, right?

Meanwhile, a certain sky blue-eyed boy watches her in the distance; taking a fascination with the girl. She stands fearlessly, smiling at her phone, looking lost. He won't lie; she looks pretty with her dirty-blonde hair falling at her waist, and her icy blue eyes gleaming while she laughs. She wears a choker, torn skinny jeans, a dark blue crop top, a black leather jacket, and platform combat boots. Her dirty-blonde hair sprawls down her back in waves, and icy blue eyes defined by the eyeliner that covers her lash line. He smiles to himself and debates if he should approach her. When he decides to, he walks towards the beaming girl.

"Wow. You are so lost."

Eira looks up from her phone to find a blonde boy standing in front of her. The boy has swept blonde hair and sky-blue eyes; wearing jeans, a pink t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket. The guy has his hands tucked in his pockets while he speaks. A wide, welcoming smile is on his face. Specialist, no doubt. Eira thinks. He carries himself in that fashion, like a well-trained soldier, always on guard.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Eira says. She speaks plainly. "I'm not that lost. I have a map."

Eira holds up the weathered map from her pocket. She's nervous; since being taught not to talk with strange boys who approach you. The pair walk around the campus to wherever Eira is heading; Eira lets a nervous laugh leave her throat. Eira recognizes where she is, she just doesn't know where she's supposed to meet this Stella girl. She doesn't even know what Stella or Bloom looks like.

"I'm impressed with your confidence." The guy says. He grins. "Ignorance is bliss, huh?"

"Fake it till you make it, right?" Eira says. Her voice is light. "I'm okay, don't need any help."

"I didn't offer." The boy says.

"Then why talk to me? Ever learned to not talk to strangers? Or is that just a Firstworld thing?" Eira asks. An eyebrow raised, amused. She notices a flash of confusion cross the boy's face. Again he straightens up.

"So presumptuous, you must be a fairy." He says.

"Wow, me presumptuous? That's a first." Eira says. She giggles, lightning up. "But you're right, I'm a fairy. That must make you a specialist?"

"Ahh, you know your stuff. Yet you're not from Solaria?" He raises an eyebrow.

"My parents are fairies. I'm from the Firstworld. Well, actually Iceland."

The pair stops, and he looks bewildered, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. He grips the straps of his backpack tightly. He looks to haven't been to the Firstworld. It's cute.

"I have no clue where that is." He says; releasing a laugh. "If you are lost, not saying you are, and if you need help, not saying I'm offering—the fairy hall is over there. This is the specialist hall."

He points to afar off building; tall, ancient, and the shingles look like they're going to fall off.

"Oh, yeah. I totally knew that." Eira says. She smiles kindly. "Map, remember?"

She sends a nod to the map that still sits in her hand, and he grins at her.

"Of course," He says. Then he holds out his hand, smiling. "I'm Sky."

"Eira." She grins. She shakes Sky's hand and releases it.

Behind Sky, a guy quickly approaches. "Quit perving on the first years."

The guy has shaggy brown hair and wears a leather overcoat. He pats Sky on the back, causing Sky to whirl to look at him. Eira suspects he too is a specialist by the way he carries himself. He roams around in a self-righteous manner, while Sky carries himself on how he acts. The guy is also checking out Eira. Which kinda bothers her.

"That's my cue to leave." Eira points out. She laughs at the two. "Thanks for the not help, I guess."

Eira walks away from the rowdy second-years.

"Riv, just give me one second. Yeah?" Sky says to Riven. He turns to talk to Eira.

"Why? You going to chase her?"

They look at the dirty-blonde that walks away.

"Nope," Sky says, disappointed. He suddenly smiles, "How are you, man?"

❅❅❅

The lawn of students settle, and Eira doesn't feel as dreadful anymore.

It's a new start, and one with good opportunities. A new her. All Eira's life, she'd lived as the freak of the Firstworld. The cold-hearted, quiet, cold as ice, bitch. Eira's parents always told her it's just because of her cold exterior, but most people say she's got a deception to her. And Eira understands that.

The low chatter of the kids is heard faintly, as Eira reaches the meeting spot at the Fairy Hall by the benches. When she reaches there, a yellow-haired blonde and a fiery redhead stand around as they talk. The redhead looks as if she had just gotten scolded. She lugs behind her, her suitcase.

"Stella? Bloom?" Eira asks. She nears them. "I'm Eira."

"Stella." The yellow-haired girl says. She smiles, her smile fake.

Stella emits power. From the way she stands, you can tell she is of royalty. She looks at Eira as if Eira has committed a felony. Her face of hidden disgust, like eating something prepared for you being a guest in someone's house, even if it turns out bad. Her light pink overcoat and designer necklaces make her look deceiving. Eira just knows this girl is going to cause trouble, and she won't trust her.

"I'm Bloom." The redhead smiles. She holds out her hand for Eira to shake.

Bloom is a fire fairy, no doubt. She radiates heat, and Eira can feel it fall off her in waves. Her fiery red hair falls in waves down her back, and she wears a nice floral shirt, a red cardigan overtop. She seems nice, but Eira can tell that she is careless from the way she stands.

Before anyone asks, No, Eira's not a mind fairy. People always assume so. It's just important to know how to read people.

Eira thinks back to the times people almost caught on to her. She used to freeze her water bottle for the hell of it, and so people started getting suspicious. When people get suspicious, she has to keep on the down-low. Hence, the need to read individuals. It's an important trait to have.

Eira shakes Bloom's hand before addressing both girls. "I apologize for holding you guys up. He was giving me some directions."

"That's nice of him," Bloom says.

"Yeah," Stella fake smiles. She speaks passive-aggressively. "That's very Firstworld of you."

❅❅❅

The girls trudge down the halls of Alfea, dodging the students that crowd the halls. Eira feels every time she bumps shoulders with another student. Anxiety clutches her chest with her muttering apologies. The constant chatter of overexcited teenagers clouds Eira's ears, and she notices the ice creeping up her hands. She shoves her hands into her pockets. The racket is loud and kinda bothers her, so she tries to avoid freezing something. Eira still holds the trait as she did as a newborn. She freezes things when upset or triggered.

Eira had decided when she left home, that she was to conceal her powers to not draw attention to herself. Of course, they require her to use them in class, but she figures if she hides them, she won't be the center of attention. Eira hates being the center of attention, but being the Winter fairy kinda comes with the attention.

"Bloom, Mrs. Dowling tells me this is your first time in the Otherworld?" Stella speaks up, avoiding bumping into people. "I hope your trip was painless."

"Mrs. Dowling gave me a time and location where there'd be a gateway. It was in the middle of nowhere, so it wasn't convenient."

"The headmistress likes to do things by the book, keeping our world a secret, is chapter one, no matter how inconvenient it is," Stella says. "But, if you want to go back."

Stella flashes a shiny gold ring fashioned like the sun. The gems in the center gleam in the shimmers of the sun. Eira realizes what it is, a gateway ring. She herself has one for when she desires to go home. Her parents have them too, because her dad still works in the Otherworld.

"That's a whole lot of ring," Bloom says in awe.

"Nice gateway ring." Eira acknowledges.

"Family heirloom. One thing that keeps you sane, is the ability to leave this place. Your world may not always be thrilling, but it beats this one. There are seven realms in the Otherworld, each a different kind of boring." Stella explains.

The girls walk through an indoor courtyard; the tour being very short. Eira's head is full of thoughts; she thinks about her parents and brother at home, and how they're doing. She contemplates texting Caleb, but he is probably in school. Her parents had her and Caleb go to a private school before applying to Alfea, and it was a smart move. Caleb, her younger brother, and a fire fairy, goes to school like a normal human being. He's 15 and on track to start at Alfea next year.

"Don't listen to her. As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side." Eira effuses. She picks up a tone of sarcasm. "She's a real ray of sunshine, isn't she?"

"Absolutely." Bloom chimes, her voice then faltering. "I have to meet with Headmistress Dowley, like now. Meet you in the dorms?"

"Of course."

❅❅❅

Sky treks down the specialists' halls when he sees Eira. She hums a little tune; her hair threw up carelessly in a messy bun. It's cute; she's in her own world. How she ended up in the specialists' halls is the big question.

"Eira!"

Eira spins around from her path towards the Winx dorm, or at least that's where she thinks she's heading. She doesn't know where she's going. The walls look the same. Plants scatter here and there, windows in the same shape. The corridor reeks of plants and burning; she assumes from the earth and fire fairies. 

Sky stands with a smile, dressed in his uniform. Eira is excited to come across Sky again, he's nice with his welcoming attitude.

"Hey, Stranger," She says. Her tone cheery and light.

"We're technically not strangers, but whatever," Sky says. He laughs at the duh look on Eira's face. "We've been acquainted."

"That we have. We've got to stop meeting like this." Eira says. "I know this is so off-topic, but you guys say hilarious words here."

"Like what?"

"Presumptuous, Acquainted, etc. Those words haven't been used since the 1800s." Eira says.

Eira scrunches her nose in fake disgust, and Sky laughs at her facial expression.

"I think they're nice," Sky says. He speaks with a mock offense.

"In my part of town, they call them posh. Or prim, and proper. Only old people use those words."

"It's because we're traditional, here."

"Sounds about right." Eira laughs. "You sound like you're straight out of a British pub."

"Why a pub?"

"I don't know, actually."

They stare into each other's eyes. Eira is the first one to break. She busts out laughing and Sky joins in.

"You're funny."

"Thanks, I try," Eira says, smiling.

She really enjoys talking with Sky, she doesn't joke with people often because people are hardheaded, but with Sky; she gets to be herself. 

"Anytime," Sky says. He smiles at the goofiness of the first-year.

"It's nice to make your acquaintance," she mocks, playfully. "Oh! Where are the girls' dorms, by the way? I think I've gotten lost. The map wasn't as efficient as I thought."

"You? Lost? And you are so reliant on that ancient map." He teases. "Once again, this is the guys' suites. The girls' suites are over there."

He motions to just across the hallway to another connecting hallway. The hallway connects to a tall archway; just above them. Eira now recognizes where she is. She has been strolling in circles for like 20 minutes.

That was dumb, she thinks. Now, this boy probably thinks I'm a blonde ditz.

"Thank you so much!" She says, kindly. "I must be going. I'm supposed to meet my suitemates, like now."

"Of course. See you around?" He smiles.

"Maybe." She grins back.

Eira walks away. She leaves the blonde boy behind her, for the second time that day.

❅❅❅

Eira pushes open a door to the Winx suite.

In her head, she thinks about the blonde boy she met today. He's cute and fun. Someone she could be herself with; good company. She wants to hang around him more, but this is college, not elementary school. You can't walk up to a person saying 'we're friends now' and be friends. It takes time, and Eira understands that. She has trust issues, and I mean trust issues. The kind where you'll be nice to someone and distant the next. All her old friends were understanding, which was nice. She hopes her new friends will be the same.

Eira see's her bags stacked by the door where she had left them. To her horror, when she looks in the common room, she sees plants covering it. It looks as if the amazon jungle had grown in their common room. It worries Eira. Every plant she touches freezes and dies. Ice and plants don't mix. At this moment, she's very glad that her parents are water and fire fairies. She couldn't handle all the plants.

Eira walks to check the room arrangements and looks at her name next to Stella's. Didn't Stella get her own room? Being a second year? Eira wonders. She grabs her bags. And moves them to her and Stella's now shared room.

"Stella?"

Stella stands in the mirror looking at outfit choices. She waves her hand around, using her light magic to admire the outfit choices.

The room is pretty big. Two twin-sized beds rest on either wall. Each bed accompanied by a dresser and desk. White blackout curtains remain open next to the windows; a neutral-colored rug covers the hard floor. The sun shines through the window, reflecting onto the floor.

"It says on the arrangement list that I'm rooming with you, and I didn't know if it is true or not. Don't you get your own room being a second-year?"

Stella turned her head up from her outfit to meet Eira's warm eyes. "They ran out of open rooms," she says, bluntly.

She doesn't seem happy, but Eira is already here, there is nothing they can do. Eira lugs her bags behind her into her side of the room. She sets up her clothes in the little dresser the school provided. Eira has time to spare, and none of her suitemates looks up for talking, so she pulls out her phone to pass the time.

Bloom talks on the phone to her parents loudly. And one of their suitemates whistles while placing more plants around, breaking the silence. Eira saw her notifications are racking up.

Caleb: Text me when you can. I've got news.

Mom: How do you like Alfea? Call me.

Dad: Be careful! Love you.

Eira texts Caleb now, calls her mom later, and texts her dad back real quick.

TO.DAD: Love you too! Let mom know I'll call her later. I'm meeting my roommates soon. ~ Eira.

TO.CALEB: what news? ~ Eira.

Caleb: Emrys asked about you...

TO.CALEB: What did he want? ~ Eira.

Eira is freaking out internally. Emrys is her ex... and they don't get along. Their breakup was a little messy with Emrys being overly apologetic. Short story short, he kissed her friend. It really doesn't matter because Eira's here now. She is here; with a fresh start away from her manipulative ex. She is still interested, though. 

Caleb: He asked where you are. And he told me to tell you he's sorry.

TO.CALEB: Sorry doesn't cut it. Did you tell him I'm gone? ~ Eira.

Caleb: Of course, he said nothing after that. I gtg, in school. TTYL?

TO.CALEB: TTYL. Bye! ~ Eira.

What a nightmare... her ex, clingy? She's gone, not even 2 weeks from her old school, and now he got her little brother involved. He is an idiot, and now she's facepalming. She and Emrys were close like attached at the hip, but Eira doesn't do cheaters. Of course, she misses him, but she won't let him or Caleb know that.

"May I help you?" Stella speaks. She breaks the silence of the room, knocking Eira from her thoughts.

Eira looks up from her phone. Bloom stands in the doorway like 10 feet from Eira; a small clutch in her hand. She wears the same outfit from before, a red cardigan and floral top. She looks startled like she has no clue what she is doing.

"Are you changing?" Bloom inquires.

"I am," Stella says. She places her clothes on her bed.

"I thought the orientation party was a casual thing."

"It is."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm planning on wearing the same clothes," Eira says. She stands up and brushes through her hair.

"So, a casual thing you're changing for?" Bloom interviews Stella.

"People have seen me in this outfit already." She says with a sigh. "They'll expect something different."

"People expect you to wear multiple outfits a day?"

"That's popularity at its finest." Eira mocks, laughing.

"People expect me to care how I look," Stella speaks passively. "Something else?"

"That light, that's... magic. How do you..." Bloom asks her.

Stella still messes with her light magic. The colors swirl in front of the mirror, switching from blue, red, and yellow, flickering.

"I'm a mentor, not a tutor." She clarifies. She looks offended. "Look, this is something you'll learn in class, but fairy magic is linked to emotion. It could be good, could be bad. Love. Hatred. Fear. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the magic."

"So, do you..." Bloom trails off. "...do you hate me or do you fear me? You were looking at me when you did the... spell. I'm pretty sure you don't love me, so..."

"Well, I don't know you," Stella says. She speaks patronizing, walking towards Bloom resting her hands on her shoulders. "But I'm sure once I do, I'll find... something to love."

"Yeah."

Eira covers her mouth to keep from laughing at the awkward exchange, and Sella struts out of the room, leaving Bloom awkwardly standing in the doorway. Bloom looks confused, and Eira doesn't blame her. That exchange was a shit show.

"Shared space, Terra," Stella complains. "Everyone loved The Secret Garden because it was a secret."

Eira walks into the cramped common room; sitting on a couch. Stella went to sit in an armchair. Failing to, because the common room is littered with plants. The girl, Terra, holds a plant pot in her hand. She has short light brown hair and grey-blue eyes. She is a bigger girl, but she still looks fabulous; wearing a pair of overalls over a red and blue striped top, and an orange-brown jacket resting on top.

"Actually, that's not quite the message of The Secret Garden. It's a story about how when things are kept private, their benefits aren't fully appreciated." Terra says. Stella doesn't respond. Terra awkwardly says, "OK."

Eira looks dumbfounded at the exchange. Is everyone here awkward? Or is it just Stella? She overheard the girl's conversation in Terra and Musa's room. It wasn't awkward. It is probably just a Stella thing.

"Where'd you go?" Bloom asks Eira. "You said you'd be here."

"Yeah, I dropped my things off and went for a walk around campus," Eira says, beaming. "I might've gotten lost. But luckily there was a cute blonde boy to help me."

"Oooh, the same from earlier?"

Eira nods blushing, "Yeah. We had a pleasant exchange. What about you? Meet any guy you like yet?"

"Maybe." Bloom blushes, smiling. "There was one guy. I met him in the courtyard earlier. He's a water fairy."

The girls sit in the common room; gossiping until it is time for the dreaded orientation party. Eira just knows she and Bloom are going to be great friends.


	3. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 1: 𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖑𝖉 (2)

Alfea Specialist Training Ground, Alfea College.

"There is something about her."

Sky and Riven talk as they circle each other; standing on a black platform in the training grounds. The mat hot on their feet as the black absorbs heat; The sun illuminates down, emitting heat. In the background, they hear the splash of the pond, and knows someone has hit it. What an unlucky person they are; no one swims in the pond on purpose. Around them, specialists fight. The sounds of grunting and impact hits the guy's ears. Sky holds a single sword in his hand and Riven holds two; To make it fair. Since Sky has more experience, it levels the playing field.

Sky won't lie. The dirty-blonde beauty has been on his mind since he saw her across the courtyard. Her laugh is melodic, and smile beams. The way her ice-blue eyes stare at him warm, or the way her sarcasm is friendly warms his heart. How her sarcasm is lovely and not offensive, Sky doesn't know. But she still pulls it off.

"What you're smitten after one chat?" Riven asks.

Riven points his sword at Sky's throat; a goofy smile on his face. Sky counteracts by swing his fake sword, sharp at his head. Riven ducks, and their swords smack against each other. Each one gets the upper hand until they meet in the middle; their swords locked into place. They both fight for power.

"What is it with you and the crazy ones?" Riven distracts.

Sky gets caught in his head, distracted. Because of this, Riven uses it to his advantage, knocking Sky's sword out of the way. He elbows Sky in the rib, and Sky grunts at the impact. The boys circle each other again. Sky is no longer in his head and is determined.

"How do you know she's crazy? You haven't even met her."

"She's a fairy from the Firstworld; they're all crazy." Riven says. "Amazing shags, though."

"Oh, and you speak from experience? I didn't realize your hand is a fairy from the Firstworld."

The two's sparring continues; their training swords clicking at contact. Sky gets the upper hand and kicks Riven in the chest. Riven grunts as he flies back onto the mat, landing on his feet. Riven counteracts by lunging at Sky; It's a mistake on his part. Sky disarms the specialist, flipping him onto his back. Riven lands on the ground with a thud. He lies back on his back in defeat, and Sky holds his sword to Rivens throat.

"You got slow this summer," Sky says. He uses a teasing tone. 

"Correction, I got high this summer." Riven says. A brag clear in his tone; his hands resting behind his head and squinting at the blinding sun. 

"Really," Sky says, a criticizing look on his face.

"Whatever big-brother speech your about to give me—"

Sky pulls Riven to his feet, cutting in, "There's no speech."

"—I don't want to hear it." Riven says. "A more productive use of your time would be to distract your aggro of a father figure so I don't get expelled."

Sky looks disappointed; Riven grabs his stuff from the bench and walks towards the barrier.

When he gets there, he steps through the shimmering barrier. Away from comfort and safety. His footsteps patter against the compacted ground, and crunch when he puts his weight on the dry leaves. The wind blows through his hair as he dodges low-hanging branches. 

When he reaches a little crag, he sits on the edge; pulling a cigarette out from behind his ear, lighting it. The wind whistles and Riven takes a drag from the cigarette. He exhales, blowing smoke out. The crag is well shaded under the low tree's of Solaria's many forests. Little plants surround him, and he leans back, taking it in. 

A growl snaps him out of his growing thoughts, and nerves shoot through his body. He turns around frantically and finds nothing. He leans back, relaxing for a minute, taking another drag. 

SNAP 

Riven turns around, doing a 360 out of fear. His eyes zone in on something. When he realizes what it is, he lets out a loud yell. 

There, lying on the ground mauled... is the Shepherd's body.

That's where the danger begins. 

❅❅❅

"It's fresh."

Head Saul Silva stares down at the body, as Headmistress Farah Dowling circles it. Headmistress Dowling observes for any evidence, and Professor Harvey collects samples of the mysterious charring dust that covers the bludgeoned body. The wind blows the branches of the trees, sun pools through the trees. The same crag Riven sat at moments ago, now abandoned. 

"Maybe a wolf?" Dowling asks. 

"Or a bear," Silva says, his voice full of hope. 

They both hope. Dowling hopes the dangers of Burned Ones are gone for good and not back to rule their nightmares. Burned Ones, a zombie like creature that is charred like fire. They glow like embers caught on a burning log; they hunt. Hunt anything. Humans and Fairies alike. No one wants to be caught near a Burned One. 

"I'm happy to continue the guessing game, but...This is charr residue." Professor Harvey says. He confirms their worst fears. 

"How long since the last sighting?" 

"About two decades." Harvey answers.

"Sixteen years. Rosalind has been relentless." Dowling says, she speaks with an aggravated tone. 

"They could've been hiding—" Silva says. 

"She killed all the Burned Ones." Dowling says, voice full of disbelief. 

"We thought she did." Harvey says. 

"Ben, what we think is irrelevant; the barrier's doing its job." Dowling says, she speaks snappily. She pulls herself together, "Until we know something, let's clean this up before gossip starts."

Oh, gossip starts...and it doesn't stop. 

❅❅❅

Eira stands bored at the snack table next to Terra. 

Eira had finally met her roommates when they finished packing, and they are nicer than she expected them to be. They are so nice. She expected to be stuck in a dorm full of drama filled girls like Stella. Instead, she got one Stella, an overachiever athlete water fairy, a bubbly earth fairy, a music enthusiast, and a hot-tempered red-head fire fairy. Of course, there is herself, too. The frosty Winter Fairy, but no one really knows that. She's just Eira for now. 

Bloom had stayed back in the dorms, so the remaining group of them stands around the snack table. Eira wished she could do the same as Bloom, but when she denied the girls, they convinced her to at least pop in. So, here she is. Bloom and Eira are already pretty close, despite Eira's trust issues. Eira thinks it might be the fact they're both from the Firstworld. 

The orientation party is in full swing. Chatter clouds Eira's ears. A sign hangs from the far wall and says, 'Alfea Welcomes You'. Fairy lights hang from the rafters and above entrances. Plant pots hang suspended from the ceiling. The girls stand around the snack table, Eira next to Terra, and Aisha and Musa across from them. They all pick off the snack table, and Eira and Terra stand with punch glasses in their hands. 

"Who actually saw the Shepherd's body?" Terra asks. "Maybe he was just old. Old people die all the time. We all die."

"That old-age decapitation really sneaks up on you." Musa says. 

"Happened to my nan right in the middle of bingo. Just... thwop, thwop, thwop. Down the table." Aisha says, she moves her hand for effect. 

"Oh, yeah. Totally." Eira says, laughing. "The old age mauling happens to the best of us."

The girls' breakout into laughs. Aisha reaches back onto the table for more food. She holds an enormous stack of cookies in her hand, wrapped in a napkin. Musa looks at her, bemused. 

"No judgment, but..." 

Aisha cuts her off, "I eat a million calories a day. If I didn't swim, I'd be massive."

Eira notices the down look on Terra's face. She understands in a way; she was known as the plus size girl at her old school. Eira wants to help Terra feel better, but she doesn't really know how. She keeps her mouth shut, knowing she wouldn't help by saying something. 

"I used to dance. I get it." Musa says. "On that note...Second round. Damn! Twice a day, every day. You weren't kidding."

Aisha took a bite off her churro, raising her eyebrows knowingly, and walks off. Musa slips on her headphones to drown out the sounds, and Terra stands awkwardly. 

"So you heard her earlier?" Terra says, clearly talking to Musa. 

"Um—I'll see you guys later. I've had my share of fun." 

Eira walks away from the drama of the dorm. 

❅❅❅

July 2010. Reykjavík, Iceland.

"Catch me, Eira!"

6-year-old Eira followed behind a 5-year-old Caleb. The two of them running around the flat backyard. Their white picket fenced house behind them. The sun radiated onto the laughing children, not a cloud in the sky. It was one of the nicer days in Iceland, the temperature at a nice 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The two kids were playing a friendly game of tag, and so far, Caleb was winning.

"I'm coming!" Eira yelled.

Eira caught up to Caleb, but he dodged out of the way in time.

"Haha! You lose." Caleb mocked.

Young Eira felt her temper rise. Her eyes narrowing, turning a frosty white. She manipulated the water on the ground to freeze around Caleb's feet. Since Caleb had no control over his powers, and he wasn't showing any sign's yet, he couldn't save himself. Eira waltzed over maliciously.

"I win." Eira taunted.

She placed her freezing chilly hand on Caleb's arm, causing a handprint to freeze on his arm. Caleb wailed in pain, catching Mark and Genevieve Wynter's attention. They ran outside from their breakfast nook and assessed the scene.

Caleb stood balling, his feet frozen to the ground. He clutched his arm; the frozen handprint that caused frostbite visible on his arm. His eyes were a bloodshot red from sobbing, and Eira stood innocently next to him. Her facial expression showing one of confusion. She had tears trailing down her face, obviously out of guilt.

"Eira!" Mark yelled. "We do not use our magic on people. Especially not your brother."

Eira started crying harder. She didn't know what had happened. Blanking one minute, and the next, she froze her brother to the ground, and he was crying. She didn't mean to. She just wanted to win without being teased.

Mark looked around for prying eyes before melting the ice Eira had made around Caleb's legs, releasing him. Caleb had dried his tears but still held his arm. Mark escorted Caleb inside the house to clean his arm and wrap it.

"Eira, honey." Eira's mom sighed. "Why'd you do that?"

"I don't know, mommy," Eira admitted, crying. "I wanted to win. And then I don't remember what happened after. When I looked up, Caleb was crying. I didn't mean to hurt him, I swear."

"Honey, I know." Genevieve hugged Eira and rubbed her back in reassurance.

Eira felt pure guilt that day and would forever feel the pain of causing her little brother harm.

❅❅❅

Alfea Orientation Party, Alfea College.

Eira leans against one of the many pillars. 

When Eira snaps out of the memory, she pushes off against the pillar. She looks, and her glass is in her hand frozen. She walks, dodging the partygoers as she goes. As soon as she reaches a bin; she dumps the remains of the frozen punch. She returns the glass to the return table. Eira has decided not to leave yet. Something pulls her too, and she always trusts her gut. It's a fluttering feeling in her stomach, and now she is still here. The party rages, students lining the halls. They look to be doing dumb stuff like spiking the punch, but Eira doesn't care. 

Eira continues her walk, looking for a quiet place. She wants to journal or something. Release some of her power, maybe. She walks through the shadows and moves around pillars. That was until she sees Sky hiding in the shadows, leaning against the pillar. His blonde hair messy on his head, glowing a nice shine under the fairy lights. 

"Hey Stranger." Eira says. "That's a lot of strangers." 

Sky looks up and notices Eira leans her back on the opposite pillar, her arms crossed. Sky thinks she looks wonderful, dressed in the same clothes as before. Her dirty-blonde hair looks blonde, falling in waves at her back. A smile on her face. Her blue eyes aren't as warm as before, but they still show compassion in them. Sky's heart flutters, and he smiles at the girl. 

"Hey Eira," Sky says. "What? You don't have parties in... Iceland?"

"You remembered!" She says. She smiles brightly, the warmness coming back to her eyes. "We have parties in Iceland. I just don't go; I'm not a people person."

"Impressed?" Sky says. "I feel honored to talk to a person who doesn't like people."

Sky can't explain the joy he feels to know that the girl enjoys his company. She's so fun to be around; he can't even imagine she'd want to hang out with a guy like him. He smiles and takes it as a compliment. 

"Oh, totally." Eira says, speaking sarcastically. Her voice returns to her cheery self, "Be honored. I only like certain people, and you might be one of them."

Eira isn't a people person, she won't lie. She has a social battery, and when it drains, she wants to be alone. Kinda like now, her battery is getting really low. When her battery get's way too low, her answers become short and her attitude high. 

"What's around here? That's the opposite of this." she asks.

"What? Beyond the barrier?" Sky asks, his eyebrows raise in suspicion. 

"Mhm." Eira nods. 

"Well, depending on rumors, wolves, bears, or something much scarier," he says, using a menacing tone. 

Eira knows he is just trying to scare her, but she's not scared. She can take whatever's out there; He just doesn't know that. She needs to be away from people. Her room, the suite, and here isn't quiet enough. She just wants to journal, play with her powers, the usual.

"That's nice." She says, joking. "But no people?"

"Um." 

"Perfect, thanks."

Sky feels worried, a concerned look on his face. From what he heard from both Riven and Silva, it's not safe. He doesn't want this girl in danger because he didn't stop her from doing something stupid. Sky looks at her like she's crazy and tries to intervene.

"It is dangerous outside right now, and I'm sure you've heard the rumors. You shouldn't go alone." 

"Are you offering to escort me? Is that what this is? Aww, you're worried for me." 

"I'm not worried."

"Sure," Eira says. "I'll be fine. I won't venture too far."

"Trust me?"

"Whenever I can, maybe one day."

Eira's footsteps click as she walks away from the blonde hotty. The so-called blonde hotty watching as she walks away, a nervous expression on his face.

❅❅❅

Stella approaches Sky as he stands dumbfounded. 

Eira has just walked away, leaving Sky to worry. He is so worried. The girl left without context and is probably walking into the forest. By herself, may he add? The forest is full of a lot of horrors, and he has no clue if she can defend herself. 

Stella stares at Sky, batting her eyelashes. The gold of the fairy lights reflecting in her eyes. The snack table is abandoned a few feet away, the party slowly dying. Plants hang from the rafters, a couple feet from the couple's heads. Stella hands Sky a glass, and he takes it. 

"I haven't seen you all day." Stella says, a pout rested on her lips.

"Summer, Stella." Sky says, his voice full of frustration. "All summer."

"You know that girl you were talking too?—Eira, she's my roommate." 

"What does that mean, Stel? I can't talk to her?" Sky's face full of disbelief. 

"I didn't say that."

"What are you say specifically?" Sky's tone drops to one of understanding. "I'd hate to make you upset. I know what happens when you get upset."

"You'll do the right thing."

"Always do."

With that, Sky hands back the glass. He leaves Stella to watch him leave with confusion. 

❅❅❅

Somewhere Outside Alfea Borders, Solaria.

Eira sits someone outside school boarders; her back rested against a tree. 

She is sitting kinda close to the river, just outside of a clearing. It is kinda dumb going out of the borders with the dangers of the woods on her conscience, but she wants a quiet place to use her powers and write. And this seemed like the only place it is achievable. She sits in the sun on a patch of grass; the sun reflecting off of her hair, making it a lighter shade. The wind blows around the branches of the trees, causing leaves to fall.

Eira sits with her legs crossed, her journal on her lap. Her journal is strictly for her thoughts. And boy, does she have a lot of them. She writes about her thoughts throughout the day; how she's feeling, stuff like that. Now, she writes in her journal about the blonde-haired hotty that can't seem to get off her mind. He has been friendly with her, even when she has her critical moments today, and even though she doesn't really trust him yet.

After a good 20 minutes of writing, behind Eira, she hears the snapping of twigs. She looks over her shoulder and sees Bloom's fiery red hair. Bloom looks to be playing with her powers, so Eira doesn't intervene. Eira hides in some brush by a tree, so Bloom doesn't know she is there.

Eira continues writing until she puts down her journal. She creates snowflakes on the palms of her hands, after the overwhelming boredom of writing set in. The snowflakes rest on her palms delicately, each one a different shape; flurrying from her palms and floating gracefully in front of her. It is relaxing. The bouncing of delicate flakes surround her. She does it often at home in the backyard because her family lives on an enormous property, with no one to interrupt her.

Whoosh! Eira turns behind her and see's the flickering of flames. Eira's eyes widen. Bloom looks panicked as she tries to shake the fire from her hands, breathing frantically. Eira rises quickly, moving around the tree and out of the brush. She stands visibly to Bloom.

"No!" Bloom panics. She shoots fireballs from her hands, making a whoosh sound.

The crackling of the fire that spreads on the forest floor overtakes Eira's ears, the smell of burnt plantlife clouding her senses. Heat radiates, and Eira feels it against her skin as she moves away from it. The smoke almost feels suffocating.

"Bloom," Aisha says, concerned. She appears on the other side of the clearing, staring at Eira, who stands to the side of Bloom.

"What are you doing here?" Bloom says, she panics.

"Bloom, it's alright. Just breathe." Eira says. Her voice is soothing, and she jogs towards Aisha into Bloom's line of vision.

"Bloom, it's okay," Aisha says, her voice comforting.

"Aisha, Eira." Bloom says, worried. "You shouldn't be here."

"Neither should you," Aisha says, calmly. "You're losing control."

"Yes, I know that!"

"I've been here way before you," Eira says. "Breathe, Bloom. Think happy thoughts."

"Calm down. If you get angry at us..." Aisha says, she trails on.

"Just... go away!" Bloom yells, getting angry.

A trail of fire shoots from Bloom's hands. The trail leads quickly towards the two girls on the side of the clearing. The fire engulfs the forest floor, taking up the plants with it. It crackles, and even though it is maybe 10 feet away, Eira feels the heat on her skin.

"RUN!" Bloom shouts, warning the girls.

"Aisha! Put up a water wave." Eira yells calmly over the cracking of the fire.

"What?"

"Just trust me."

The fire inches closer to the two girls, and Aisha puts her hand on the dirt, controlling the water to make a wall. The wave leans towards the trail of fire, causing it to fall on the fire. Before the water hits the ground and gets absorbed by the fire, Eira sends a wave of cold towards the water, freezing it. The cold freezes the water into a sheet of ice. The fire that rushed toward the girls diminished under a wave of water, and a sheet of ice covers any signs of ash hidden below.

Eira controlled the vapor by freezing it before it rose. That way, the rush of vapor wouldn't alert the teachers from it rising into the air. She figures they shouldn't be out here and doesn't want to get expelled her first day.

"Holy shit!" Aisha stands astonished. "You're the Winter Fairy!"

"Fuck."


	4. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 1: 𝕿𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖎𝖑𝖉 (3)

Hallways of Alfea, Alfea College.

On the path back to the school, Eira made Aisha swear not to tell anyone. Eira doesn't need attention brought on to herself until the last possible moment. And if classes were then, so be it. Aisha agreed to keep it a secret.

A passive-aggressive silence fell among the girls until they approached the school. When they arrive at an empty corridor, Aisha's scolding starts at full fire.

"No." Bloom says, shaking her head. "You shouldn't have been out there."

"Is that American for 'sorry I almost set you on fire'?" Aisha challenges. "You were a runaway train with no idea what you were doing."

"Which is why I was out there alone trying to figure it out."

"I'm with Aisha, Bloom," Eira says. "Plus, I was out well before you. Maybe double-check for pedestrians next time."

"Don't give her ideas. You shouldn't have been out there! If you saw her playing with fire in the forest, why didn't you stop her?" Aisha snaps at Eira.

"Excuse me!?! I'm on your side on this!" Eira retorts, clutching her journal in her hand tighter. "I didn't know she would start a forest fire. You were out there too, Guppy."

"Also, that was a brilliant idea, Bloom," Aisha says sarcastically.

"I'm not like the rest of you; I didn't grow up here, and I don't have fairy parents. I've done magic once in my life and it was..." Bloom tears up, and her voice cracks.

Eira has compassion for the girl, but considers almost rolling her eyes. She doesn't understand what it is like to have human parents, or not grow up using her powers. But she understands everything else, and very clearly. She didn't grow up in Solaria; she grew up in the human world. And her parents don't understand how it feels being a winter fairy. It is terrifying. Her powers go haywire, even in the slightest spike of negative emotion. And freezing her brother to the ground didn't earn her brownie points with her parents. Instead, she got grounded for 2 weeks.

Being a Winter Fairy has a lot of negative effects, too. It isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Besides freezing her brother to the ground, she is a danger to others and herself. She's the last Winter Fairy, the last one to pop up in centuries. And with that, she's a target. People are envious, like all the time. And the slow healing? She can't control it, and it sucks.

"What? Terrible? I'm shocked." Aisha says. "flooded my entire secondary school after I failed a math test. Taps, sprinklers, toilets... Have you ever waded through human poo?"

No one comments. The girls stand in the hallway balcony above the courtyard. The lights from the party below shining on them. It is quiet where they stand. The party below them dying down.

"I have," Aisha says. "Not pleasant. Sometimes being a fairy means you have to deal with shit."

"Everyone's been through shit," Eira speaks, her voice light. "When I was born, my parents didn't know what to do with me. I was a newborn with Cryokinesis powers. It wasn't fun."

Eira pauses with a sigh, and the girls look at her. They squeeze on a bench. Eira resting her journal on her lap.

"It is bad, but we all deal with shit." Eira says. "I got pissed at my brother one time when we were playing tag, so I froze him to the ground. I don't remember what happened after, but when my dad yelled at me, my brother was sobbing. On his arm was a frosty handprint. It's not one of my finer moments, but we all go through shit as fairies. It's the circle of life."

Bloom was close to tears. She sniffles, "So my...mom and I don't really get along. I know. It's a shocker. I'm not exactly the ideal daughter for her. She'd love a cheerleader, and I'm... whatever the opposite of a cheerleader is. That night, I... couldn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, the rage just kept building. Then it happened. It was almost like the fire had a life of its own. I don't remember how long I let it burn. I just remember their screams. My mom got covered in third-degree burns... because of me. Every night after that, I snuck out. I was so... scared that I'd hurt them again that I slept in this... creepy-ass warehouse near my house until Miss Dowling found me."

"All right. Fire story beats shit story. You win." Aisha confirms.

"My story doesn't even compete," Eira says.

"And your parents did not know it was you?" Aisha asks.

"I don't know how distant my fairy ancestors are, but the most mystical thing my parents believe in is knocking on wood," Bloom says. Aisha and Eira both stare at her. "What?"

"It's just odd. You drew on a good deal of magic without even trying." Aisha explains. "It's hard to believe you're from a dormant bloodline."

"Yeah, it's really hard to believe." Eira chimes. "Most people who come from a long line of fairies, like my brother, for example, can only perform minor acts of magic without training."

"Is there any chance you're adopted?" Aisha asks.

"No." Bloom denies. "No, I... No, I've heard the story of my birth a million times. "Miracle baby." I had a heart defect in the womb, but a day after I was born, it disappeared."

Eira and Aisha look at each other, shocked, coming to an agreement. Eira sat in shock; Bloom, a changeling? They are so rare. It is crazy, she can't believe it.

"Oh, God. You..." Aisha trails off. "You're a changeling."

"What's that?" Bloom asks, "Aisha, what's a changeling?"

"A changeling is a fairy baby that's switched with a human one at birth."

"They are crazy rare," Eira says. "I don't even think there has been one in decades. There is a high possibility you aren't one."

"Wait, what?" Bloom asks in disbelief.

"It's barbaric. It barely happens anymore." Aisha says.

"That's not possible." Bloom shakes her head, denial on her face.

Eira keeps her mouth shut. If Bloom doesn't want to hear it, she won't try to convince her. Hearing from friends that you're adopted isn't the best way to find out.

"You're clearly very powerful, Bloom. You have to be pure-blooded." Aisha pushes.

"I would know if my parents weren't my parents, Aisha." Bloom says. "Why would you even say that?"

"I'm just trying to help,"

"Well, you're not." Bloom snaps.

Bloom storms off, leaving Aisha and Eira on the bench. Eira keeps quiet, playing with her hands and journal. Musa walks down the hallway and stops next to them. Her backpack resting on her back. She raises an eyebrow at Aisha.

"What the hell did you tell her?" Musa asks Aisha.

"The truth, because someone's been lying to her."

"I don't think it's just one person," Eira says.

And with that, Eira gets up and walks back to her dorm, leaving her suitemates in the dust.

❅❅❅

Alfea Girls' Suites, Alfea College, Solaria.

After Bloom storms off, Eira left to the dorms to look for her.

When Eira gets there, Bloom is gone. Her room is empty of life, and her coat gone from its spot on the rack. Eira tried calling and texting her many times, but all she got is her voicemail and no response. She is worried, classes started tomorrow, and it is already very late. Bloom is missing, and it seems like Eira is the only one looking. Stella sits on the common room couch. She plays with her phone, not a care in the world.

Stella had to have had a hand in it. Her hand shook as if anxiety crept up her chest. She looked to be sweating. Eira's determined. And if no one was going to help her? Eira would find Bloom herself. Because spoiler alert, firstworld morals include helping your upset friend.

"Can I help you?" Stella looked up from her phone.

"Have you seen Bloom?" Eira asked Stella. "She should've come this way."

"Yeah. She went to the forest to clear her head." Stella lied. "Maybe you could go out and find her. It is getting dark, you know."

Eira wasn't planning on being an awful friend, leaving Bloom in the woods at night. So Eira was aiming to prepare well. She left her leather jacket and journal in her room, grabbing her light overcoat and the map from her room. And with that, she made her way towards the woods. She felt prepared, like she was ready for anything.

Only Eira didn't expect the unexpected.

❅❅❅

Aisha and Musa entered the suite with a task in mind. They had to find Bloom because Aisha felt overwhelming guilt. Aisha wanted to right her wrong. Bloom is her friend, and she was a shitty friend for pushing her boundaries. When they entered the suite, Stella sat on the couch. She used her powers to manipulate the light into making better lighting for her selfies.

"Have you seen Eira or Bloom?" Aisha asked the girl.

"I haven't seen them recently." Stella lied. She snapped her finger, and the light she once created disappeared. The two stared at her incredulously. "Yes?"

"Your face looks so calm, yet you're racked with guilt." Musa rose an eyebrow.

"You're a mind fairy." Aisha asserted.

"A mind fairy?" Terra butt in, walking into the room. "What's your connection? Memory..."

"Now's not a great time." Musa alerted.

"Is everything OK?" Terra asked, concerned.

"Not really," Aisha said. "I'm looking for Bloom, and now Eira's missing. For some reason, Stella's feeling guilty about it."

"Could everyone save the drama for drama club?" Stella requested.

"Wasn't Eira talking to Sky?" Terra asked.

"And?" Stella asked, with a heavy attitude.

"And I know what happened to the last person who was talking to Sky," Terra revealed. "I was here last year, remember?"

"Stella, where's Eira?" Terra urged. "And where's Bloom?"

"Bloom was feeling homesick, so I did a nice thing, and I lent her my ring so that she could go back to the First World," Stella revealed.

"Doesn't it only work outside the Barrier?" Terra asked.

"Yes, and there's a gateway in the old cemetery."

"That's deep in the forest, Stella." Terra scolded. "You know what's out there, right?"

"Where's Eira?" Aisha asked.

"I did an agreeable thing and told her where Bloom was heading."

"Now she's in the forest, too!?!"

❅❅❅

Somewhere Outside the Barrier, Alfea College, Solaria.

Eira now wandered with the map in her hand.

It looks like the map was of use to her because the woods looked all the same as they did over 16 years ago. Everything was in the same place. So thanks, dad. She guesses. She saw the old mill, the barn, the graveyard, stuff like that marked on the map. The question is, which one would Bloom be hiding around?

Eira held her hand in front of her, with her powers there to protect her. Ice swarmed her palm like a tornado, little shards clinging to her hand. The light of the moon broke through the branches of the trees, lighting up the ice crystals. The chilly wind nipping at her skin. Eira was kinda nervous about the looming shadows that leaned over her. The trees looked as if they were going to cave over her. It was pretty scary, even though she wouldn't admit it.

"Bloom?" she called out.

Oh, god. I'm in a horror movie, she thought. I should have never trusted Stella.

The eerie silence of the woods terrified her. She hadn't gotten lost yet, but she felt like she was close. The branches of the trees swayed in the wind. The leaves crunched under her feet every step she took. Her jacket clung to her back, as the dirt did to her shoes. She cleared the bubble of anxiety out of her throat. Clutching her tight chest.

Crack!

Eira whipped around to the sound of a tree branch snapping. She heard a low growl. Her eyes widened as she scanned the area. Nothing was in sight. She started shivering out of nerves. She did a full 360, her hair whipping back and forth. "Hello?" her voice cracked.

Snap!

Eira whirled around, her hand in front of her. Her dirty-blonde hair, messy at her shoulders. And her blue eyes widened with fear. She heard a loud growl and felt a scream bubble in her throat. She didn't expect to be in this situation and didn't want to be in this situation. A dark shadow loomed in front of her, inching closer. And closer. Until...

It attacked.

Before Eira could even comprehend what happened, she clutched her arm in pain. She grunted at the impact before acting promptly. She froze the mysterious shadow to the ground, while it rushed at her at full force. The ice-coated its feet, causing it to stick to the ground. It moved and growled, leading Eira into shoving an Ice stake through its chest. It wailed at the impact, collapsing to the floor with a thump. Eira kicked it to make sure it was dead.

Eira groaned, plopping her butt on the floor while clutching her arm. "Fuck."

She inspected her arm. A scratch ran from the top of her shoulder to around her elbow. It wasn't looking nice... Black veins crept up the scratch on her arm and looked as if they were spreading. The wound overall wasn't bad. It looked as if someone took a box cutter to her skin. Okay... maybe it was bad. Just not Eira's definition of bad. The wound poured with blood, causing it to trail down her arm, burning. She placed her hand over the wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

Eira wasn't too worried. Yeah, a mysterious thing attacked her in the woods. Did that make her worried? No. Her Dad made her carry a first aid kit on standby in her room. Her Dad worked as a protector, so he watched for threats like this.

Eira felt her icy hand against her arm, and she willed the cold to push through. Her hand felt freezing cold placed over the wound. She tried to heal the wound. The only issue is she doesn't know the difference between performing slow healing and healing magic yet. So either her wound won't heal for a couple of months, or it will heal here and now. She watched as the black veins crept back towards the wound before magically disappearing. When she removed her hand from the wound, the black veins had disappeared. The wound still there, in its glory.

Her jaw dropped.

"I can remove weird evil poison but not heal the wound?" Eira spoke to herself, frustrated. "What in the bullshit is this!?!"

"Eira?!?"

Eira heard the calls of her friends. She stood up, watching her arm. She then meandered towards the voices. They echoed off the trees. She wondered if it was them. "Guys?!?"

"Eira!"

Eira took off in a sprint towards what looked to be the old graveyard on the map. Her feet slid on the wet leaves of the forest, one of her hands coated in blood. She looked like a walking zombie. Her hair decorated with leaves here and there. Blood pooling down her arm and coating her once blue shirt. Dirt and mud-covered her pants. And her coat had a long tear down the arm.

"Oh my god, Eira!" Terra screeched. "Your arm!"

"I'm okay."

"No, you're clearly not," Aisha advised. "You look like you've got hit by a truck."

"I'll be okay," Eira assured. "I just tripped. Have you guys found Bloom?"

The growling of the shadow thing cut off the girls from speaking. Eira still didn't know what they called the things, but it looked identical to the thing that scratched her. The girls watched as Bloom exited the door of the graveyard. The door slamming behind her. She bent over, panting out of breath.

"Are you okay?" Aisha asked her.

"Yeah, yeah. I think so. What the hell was that thing?" Bloom puzzled, walking towards the group of girls.

"I'm pretty sure it's called a Burned One," Terra revealed.

"A Burned One?" Eira's eyes widened. That's what scratched her? Is she going to die? The black veins disappeared. Does that mean she's safe? Oh shit, she's going to die.

"Huh?" Bloom asked. "Wait. Where... where's Stella?"

"She's at school, why?" Aisha said.

"That thing just took her ring." Bloom freaked, her eyes wide.

"That's the least of our worries right now." Eira fumed.

❅❅❅

"You can't be in here, Stel." Sky reprimanded "If Silva finds out..."

"I'll leave before the sun comes up." Stella trembled.

"You can't pull this shit, Stel... You broke up with me."

"No, I know."

"I didn't hear from you all summer, and when I say two words to a dumb first-year?" It physically pained Sky to say this. Really, talking to Eira had been the highlight of his day. He wouldn't say it, though.

"I said I know, OK? I'm sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Sky asked.

"I got jealous." Stella cried. "Yeah, I know I'm not allowed to, but I did. And I did something really stupid. Now they all think I'm a monster."

"Oh, Stel..." Sky trailed off. He hid his panic.

Had Stella already done something? Was Eira safe? He was eternally panicking. Stella had already blinded a poor girl because she talked to him. He wasn't even interested.

"No, please," Stella begged. "I can't sleep in there, Sky. In a room where everybody hates me. Please. Tonight, can I just stay with you? Next to someone who doesn't... hate me."

"You're better than you think you are, Stella." Sky comforted. "Other people can't see that if you don't."

❅❅❅

Walking through the woods exhausted Eira. Her dirty-blonde hair covered with dirt, and blood covered her upper arm. She needed a shower, no doubt about it. She smelt like woods, and it wasn't pleasant. The girls now gathered in their common room. The adventure filled night exhausted all the girls. Bloom's fiery red hair fell from her high pony. And she shuffled towards her bedroom.

"The headmistress will take care of the Burned One, Bloom." Aisha comforted, stopping Bloom in her tracks. "She won't leave it in the First World. Don't worry. Your parents are safe."

"Thanks." Bloom smiled.

"Okay then..." Eira spoke into the silence, looking into her bedroom. "The guilt must've been too much for Stella; looks like she's sleeping somewhere else."

And with that, Eira walked into her room, shutting the doors behind her.

❅❅❅

"I chained it up in a barn outside the Barrier."

Headmistress Dowling stood looking out the window of her office. The moon shined through the window and lit up her face. Headmaster Silva behind her leaned on a desk. Ms. Dowling still stood tall in all her glory, even after capturing a Burned One.

"You should've killed it." Silva conferred.

"And left it in the human world?" Headmistress Dowling asked in disbelief.

"You should've brought it back here and then killed it." He corrected. He switched to a worried tone. "Did it break your skin?"

"No, I'm not infected," Dowling assured. "I've got Ben to make up some oil from the Zanbaq flowers in the greenhouse. I've dosed it. It won't be conscious for hours."

"Farah..."

"I need to get in its head." She urged. "We need to know if this is an isolated incident or something more."

"Something more?" Silva asked. "Like what?"

"I found a changeling in the First World."

"A changeling." Silva's face written with disbelief. "I've not heard of one of those in centuries."

"Yet there she was... left 16 years ago... right around the time the last Burned One was spotted." Ms. Dowling explained. "Not to mention Mark and Genevieve's daughter, she's chaos on her own. A winter fairy? Those had been extinct for over a century."

"You think it's all connected."

"I'm struggling, Saul. Rosalind kept so much from us. I'm worried about the students. The Alfea they know differs from the one we attended. They have so much life to experience. Even if this world were safe, what they're going through can feel impossible. But this world isn't safe, and I don't know how long we'll be able to protect them from it."

Dowling paused. Staring off into the abyss.

"I know you feel it. The... shift. They've had order for so long, they don't know what chaos feels like." She explained.

"They might soon." Silva vocalized.

And Saul Silva was right about one thing that night...

Chaos is approaching.


	5. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 2: 𝕹𝖔 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 (1)

The sun beamed into the window of Stella and Eira's dorm the next morning.

Eira cleaned and bandaged her arm, perched on her bed, feet propped up on the desk chair. Her arm was still uncomfortable. But it is improving. It stopped bleeding after she showered and gave herself a couple of stitches last night. And I know, stitches? Eira was extremely stubborn; making her avoid going to the nurses. So, instead, she did them herself. Guess the first-aid training paid off. 

Also, she wasn't dead yet, and from what she's studied about Burned Ones; the wound would've poisoned her by now since she doesn't have Zanbaq.

Eira rung out a rag of lukewarm water, and wiped it on her arm, cleaning the wound. It made her gasp and tense up. She poured rubbing alcohol on the wound, grimacing at the burning sensation. Gauze got placed on the scratch and dressed with medical tape, and Eira got ready for the day, dressing in a light olive blouse, leather jacket, jeans, choker, and combat boots. She chose long-sleeves today to mask her arm, not wanting people to ask questions. 

The good news was that Eira didn't suspend her healing yesterday; it would improve like normal. Slow healing is more of a defensive attack, but if Eira wasn't deliberate enough, she could've let it happen to herself. She preferred not to heal herself regularly for that reason. It was kinda dangerous, and many cases of Eira attempting to heal herself, led to her delaying her healing.

Eira threw her hair up, walking out of her room. She had already grabbed breakfast hours ago, so she's ready for classes. She sat on the common room couch and played on her phone.

The plants still littered the common room, and Eira wouldn't complain unless they were in her way. She wouldn't lie, they kinda brightened up the room. Two armchairs faced her from her spot on the couch; in between them, a side table. The side table covered in plants, a lamp, and magazines. A bay window remained in front of her; sunrays blinding her.

Eira relaxed until she got a text from her Dad.

Dad: Hey, honey! Just checking in. I know classes start today, and I just wanted to let you know you'll do awesome. Also, beware of the woods. Never know what's lurking out there.

TO. DAD: Hey dad! I'm doing good. Thanks for checking in. Also, thanks for the warning. I've been avoiding the woods. I'll talk to you later.

"Oh, that outfit's so similar to yesterday. Same designer?" Musa asked.

Low and behold, Stella walked into the suite in the same clothes as yesterday; Musa stood looking smug and took a sip of her coffee. Stella did what Eira called the walk of shame. Eira knows it very well because she used to do the walk herself, arriving home in the mornings from nights with Emrys. Eira and Emrys did nothing past making out, but she still felt the shame. She kept her lips shut tight; to mad to say anything to Stella.

"Do you know how I feel about that joke, or shall I tell you?" Stella remarked. "Where's Bloom?"

Stella shouldn't act like she cares with the night she put Eira and Bloom through. Last night was a living hell; she lured Bloom into the woods by giving her a way to see her parents and lured Eira into the woods by giving her the wrong directions to find Bloom. Eira is petty.

"Well, she had a rough night. Thanks to you." Musa said. "I didn't think those things were real, but we all saw. It was creepy as hell. It looked like it wanted to kill her."

"What about my ring?"

Bloom strolled into the common room from her bedroom. She looks like she got no sleep; deep bags remained at the bottom of her eyes. Her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail, and her leftover mascara smearing around her eyes. Eira's with her on the sleep thing. She had gotten maybe 6 hours' last night because of the tormenting pain in her arm.

"That burned..." Bloom spoke. "... burned thing took it."

"What?" Stella snapped.

"Calm down, Princess." Musa said.

"Don't tell me to calm down and don't use my title as an insult."

"Are you actually a princess?" Bloom asked.

"Yes, I am, actually. My mum is the queen, and the ring you lost is one of the crown jewels of Solaria." Stella said. "That might not mean much to a First Worlder. Ask any of your suitemates how big of a screw-up that is."

Eira couldn't help herself. She was kinda bitter, "It's a screw-up, but more on you, Stella. If I was a princess, I wouldn't give away one of the crown jewels to get rid of someone."

Stella rolled her eyes at Eira, and Eira felt the urge to slap her. She couldn't really slap the princess of Solaria, but she could dream.

"The screw up is almost as big as giving it to her." Aisha added. "Dowling has the creature locked up, which you would know if you were here last night when she gave us an earful."

"And if people knew there was a Burned One even in the First World temporarily, disaster," Musa said.

"I didn't tell her I lost the ring, and I'm sure if we do, then..." Bloom suggested. Stella shot her down almost immediately.

"We will do no such thing. I will figure it out after class, but for now, no one says anything to anyone." Stella said, walking towards her room. "And can someone make sure that Terra knows that? She can never keep her mouth shut."

❅❅❅

"Magic lives in the very fabric of nature. And here in our circle of stone, it's magnified."

The first-year fairies sat at the stone circle. Every one of them on stone benches. The rushing of a waterfall making a racket in the background; with the smell of plant life, freshwater, and burning wood assembling in the area. Headmistress Dowling strolled around the front of the metal vessel in the front. Braziers crackled in the background.

"The Vessel tests your ability to channel that magic. Later, you may learn to connect with other elements, but your first year is all about the element you were born with."

"Earth."

Terra stepped up, making plants grow from the vessel. Her hands moved the vines that popped from the soil; they stretched up, circling. It was fun to watch. Terra did it with a beaming smile.

"Soil, sand, rock, and most plant life." Dowling said. "Water."

Aisha walked up to the vessel, making water molecules float. She looked serious; her face straight the whole time. The water molecules reflected the sun; Aisha making them float into a tornado shape.

"The lakes and oceans of the world, or the molecules that exist in all organisms around us. The mind."

Musa walked to the front, stopping at the vessel. She placed her hands on the side. The surrounding waves around Musa flickered, her eyes glowing a violet color. She made it look so easy, even effortless.

"Thoughts, memories, dreams... Air."

Another first-year girl, Beatrix, stood up and walked to the vessel. She manipulated the electricity in the air to flicker. A smug look on her face. The electricity crackled, producing the smell of burning.

"Speed, temperature, sound. Its power and electrical properties." Ms. Dowling spoke. "And a lost one, Ice or Winter."

Eira walked up and stood in front of the metal vessel. She stood there in the silence, and Headmistress Dowling nodded in assurance. Eira nodded back, raising her hands over the bronze vessel. At first, nothing happened. Silence ruled over the circle. Then, peaking over the top of the vessel, a single snowflake.

"All things cold. Ice, Snow, Darkness."

The gasps of Eira's peers broke through the silence. All looked at Eira with wide eyes, including Eira's suitemates. The single snowflake turned into many; snowflakes rushed over the vessel and floated around. When Ms. Dowling motioned for Eira to stop, the snowflakes cut off from the vessel. Eira moved to sit down.

"Whatever your element, the emotions underlying it are the same for all fairies." Ms. Dowling spoke.

Next was Bloom. She got up from her spot on a stone bench, trudging towards the front. Bloom stood in front of the class, placing her hands on the sides of the metal vessel. When nothing happened, she looked frustrated.

"Open yourself up to the magic of the world around you. Push past your doubts. Focus on clear, positive feelings."

"Why's it taking so long?" Eira heard someone from the crowd of students mutter. Bloom got even more frustrated as nothing happened.

"How about your parents?" Aisha suggested. "Focus on how much you love them?"

"It's not working." Bloom said, getting frustrated.

"Stop thinking. Magic comes from..."

Bloom cut her off, "Emotions. I've been listening. I know what I'm supposed to do."

Headmistress Dowling didn't respond. Bloom kept getting frustrated as nothing happened. She threw her hands down, giving up.

"This is a disaster." Musa declared.

"It's not happening. Can you please move on?" Bloom asked, urgently. 

Bloom stormed away from the vessel, and Eira knew after class would be tough. With Bloom in a snappy mood, Stella and the dumb ring, and the entire school finding out about Eira being the Winter fairy. It was going to be a whirlwind.

And it was.

❅❅❅

Eira rested on a bench in the hall, in between classes.

She remained in a secluded hallway, but every so often someone would pass by. The corridor was pretty concealed, and because of that Eira bounced her leg. A wide window rested behind the bench; pillars bordering the halls a couple of feet in front of it. Joy spread through Eira's body; first day of classes were awesome, so far.

Eira scrolled through her Insta. She looked at what her friends at home have been posting. Several of them were from their vacations, school, stuff like that. One picture caught her eye in particular.

It was a picture of her and Emrys... Why had he posted it? She never knew what he was thinking, but she perceived he wasn't over her yet. She kinda liked that; it causing her to blush a deep scarlet. She looked so delighted, so happy. I mean, she's grinning now, but she wasn't so alone then as she is now.

Emrys hadn't screwed her over bad or anything; the two of them just fought a lot, so the couple split. A kiss happened between him and her friend, leading to the split, and because of that Eira was petty. She was bitter; breaking up with him was the best thing she could've done. The so-called cheating is why he won't quit apologizing through her brother. Moving to a different world is kinda also what sabotaged the relationship. She did kinda miss him... she wouldn't lie. He didn't pursue Brittany from what she picked up.

"Whatever you're planning, don't do it."

Eira looked up from the bench. And in front of her was a guy she had never met. The sun from behind Eira spotlighted on him; his shaggy pitch-black hair fell into his eyes and mahogany-colored eyes sparkled. He wore casual jeans, and a Led Zeppelin band t-shirt, paired with a piercing above his eyebrow. It didn't make him look Emo; it fit him. He leaned against the pillar in front of the bench.

"I know that look, don't do it. You'll regret it." He warned, with a kind smile.

Eira looked up at the guy with her eyebrows scrunched. And her eyes narrowed. She had no clue what he was talking about. She wasn't planning anything. "Huh?"

"Let me guess, your ex?"

The guy sat on the bench next to Eira, with kind eyes, seeming very sincere. He sat leaning forward, his arms rested on his knees. Eira felt the radiating heat from him sitting next to her. The smell of cinnamon and apple drifted from him.

"Yeah," Eira said. "I just saw this pop up on my Instagram. I honestly don't know what I'm thinking. We dated for 2 years. Didn't work out because now I'm here."

"Is he from a different realm?" He asked; like he himself had experienced it. He looked distant in his eyes.

"More like a different world."

He laughed. "That'll do it to ya. I'm Beckett, a first-year specialist. And you are?"

"Eira, first-year Winter Fairy." Eira said, smiling. Her eyes bright.

"Oooh... So you're the Winter Fairy." Beckett came to realize. He laughed skeptically.

"The one and only."

"I didn't even know such a thing existed till this week." Beckett said, chuckling. "Well, as a Winter fairy, you definitely shouldn't get back with your ex. He doesn't deserve you, anyway."

"Thanks." Eira smiled.

"You look lonely." Beckett said, bluntly. "You're are more than welcome to sit with my friends and me at lunch."

"I wish I could," Eira smiled. "I have to sit with my roommates. But if something changes, I'll come find you."

"Perfect." He said, smiling.

And from there, Eira went to all of her classes for the day.

❅❅❅

Eyes followed Eira as she sat down at the table with her tray.

To say news spread like wildfire is an understatement. Students' eyes followed Eira as she walked to the table, watching as if she was in a zoo. She was so uncomfortable, but she kept her head up.

The clatter of the dining hall clouded Eira's senses. With the scraping of forks and knives, clinking in rhythms of staccato. Teens of all ages chatted with their friends, some whispering about the first-year that passed them. Tables filled everywhere, and people sat with empty and full plates. Eira smelt the mediocre dining hall food.

The pillars towered around the primary area of the dining room. Stairs leading upstairs, lowered at the end of the dining hall. The mahogany table that Eira now sat at; rested next to the pillar. 

Bloom and Terra sat at the table Eira had sat down at; since Musa and Aisha were still in line for food. The girls at the table both picked at their food, looked at Eira curious. Eira rushed to take off her leather jacket, grabbing her phone out of it, and then hanging it on the back of her chair.

"I got lost again," Eira mumbled, taking a bite from her food.

Bloom busted out laughing, "That's what, the third time? It's been 2 days."

"I have a map, but it's not much help. I probably should've left my 1980s map at home." Eira sighed, shaking her head.

"Probably," Terra said with a smile.

Musa and Aisha arrived at the table, sitting down, engaged in a conversation. Eira didn't know what about, but Musa looked pretty overwhelmed.

"Thank you guys for not obsessing over the magic thing," Eira said. "I already have to deal with it from everyone else, it's nice to not have to deal with it with you guys."

"Of course," Terra said. "You're human too."

"It is cool, though." Musa pointed out.

"Yeah," Aisha responded, smiling.

"I appreciate it."

"Bloom, here's what we should do. Maybe we can make a list of emotional triggers..." Aisha said.

"Aisha, um, I appreciate what you're doing, but I can figure this out on my own,"

Terra looked puzzled as she followed the conversation; Musa listened intently. Eira was too busy worrying about the stares that shot daggers into her back to intervene.

"I'm sure. I just think you might be in your head about the whole changeling stuff and overthinking." Aisha kept her voice low.

"So everyone knows."

"Is that why you freaked out at the Vessel? That makes more sense. That's going to be the easiest assignment we'll have," Terra rambled, Musa waved her hand as a warning to not make the situation worse. "and I'm making it worse."

Musa nodded at Terra in approval.

Stella and Sky walked towards the girls; Stella holding a large paper in her hand. It looked like an updated version of Eira's map. Eira and Sky avoided each other's eyes; Eira looking at her hands, and Sky's eyes glued to the map.

"We have a plan to get my ring back," Stella announced. She placed down the map onto the table. Sky looking over her shoulder.

"What's this?" Musa inquired.

Terra cut in, "It's Alfea. The little dotted line is the Barrier, and that's Crag Creek... Wind Meadow! When I was a kid, I'd spend every..."

Stella cut her off, "Great story, Ter."

"No, it's a great story. Listen. So I used to practice my magic by trying to swirl leaves into this little fab cyclone thing..."

Sky sat down next to Eira. Turning to her and whispering, "Stella told me what happened... Are you okay?"

The pair locked eyes and Eira felt her stomach flutter.

"On which part? The fact I'm the Winter fairy and people won't let it go; or I got wrong directions to go find Bloom in the woods last night?" Eira whispered.

"Both."

Eira's voice lightened up, "Well, I've been a Winter fairy all my life, so I'm used to it, and my dad's a protector. My dad raised me in the woods. So what do you think?"

"I... I think you're freaking out and pretending you're not." Sky pointed out.

"Is it that obvious?" Eira asked.

"I'm just really good." Sky joked. The two stared each other in the eyes, smiling.

"Sure, Blue Sky." Eira laughed

"So, does being a Winter Fairy make you the Walmart Elsa?" Sky asked.

"I prefer DreamWorks's Jack Frost, but I'll take what I can get." Eira laughed, "I'm surprised you know what those things are." 

"We have Instagram here, we don't live under a rock."

Throughout the entire conversation, Stella sent the two of them daggers. Something must have pissed her off, but Eira didn't care. Eira was just talking to a friend; nothing more.

"... and the ladybird wasn't there, it was on my face. How funny is that?" Terra finished.

"Hilarious. Um, Sky?" Stella interjected, shooting the two a death glare. "Where do you think they're keeping it again?"

Sky stood up quickly, like he had gotten caught or something. He looked at map on the table; Stella stroked his arm, possessively. Stella sent smug glares Eira's way, and Eira played with the sleeves of her shirt to avoid eye contact with the two. Bloom elbowed Eira, looking at her questioningly; Eira mouthed 'later.'

"Um..." Sky spoke, trailing off. "Uh, there's only a couple buildings outside the Barrier, they can secure a creature like that. There are the barn and the mill."

"Oh, the barn would be my bet. My dad fortified the beams because he was, chaining this wounded horse there when I was little..." Terra said.

"We just have to sneak in and get my ring," Stella spoke, cutting in.

"Strange how you're tossing about the word 'we.'" Aisha said, criticizing.

"Yeah, sounds more like a "you" kinda deal," Musa spoke.

"Except I didn't lose it."

"When do we go?" Bloom cut in, determined.

Bloom kept her head down, avoiding everyone's eyes. A silence hung over the table. Eira looked at Bloom. Eira understood Bloom did it for pride, and if Bloom was going down, Eira would too. That's what friends are for.

"Gonna be blunt. Sorry. Bloom, you have zero control over your magic." Aisha said. "If you even can channel it; Bad idea."

"I lost the ring. I'm going to get it back." Bloom asserted.

"You guys aren't having fun without me." Eira interposed. "I'm down."

Eira wasn't going to let Bloom do something reckless, so she figures she'll supervise or something. 

"Guys, maybe we should take a second..." Sky tried to intervene.

"I think everyone is making a bigger deal of this than it needs to be," Stella lectured.

Eira felt her temper rise. She hugged her arms around her chest and leaned back in her chair; relaxing and counting to ten to calm down. It didn't help, but she hoped it would. An overwhelming irritation washed over her chest and annoying thoughts buzzed through her head.

"The Burned One's locked up, right?" Stella asked.

"Oh, and subdued," Terra added. "I'm pretty sure my dad is distilling this oil that'll subdue it. It's... It's called Zanbaq. I could make some more."

"Thank you, Terra, for being helpful." Stella smiled. "Thank you, Bloom, for taking responsibility. Oh, and thank you Eira for volunteering. And thank you, everyone else, for... nothing, I guess!" Stella said, bitter. "Thanks for nothing."

Stella looked at the girls indignantly, causing Bloom to storm off. Bloom walked away with a brunette water fairy following her. It looked as if he was comforting her, and kudos to Bloom. She got herself an admirer not even two days into school.

Stella's attitude towards Eira overwhelmed her, leading to Eira feeling cold ice crystals form on her palms. Her hands balled up in fists to hide it. She felt a shooting pain in her arm, causing her to look over at her sore arm. She panicked when she saw blood bleeding through her shirt. The stitches must've undone during classes. The group that remained at the table looked at her very concerned; Stella looking guilty. 

"Let me know when you're planning it."

Eira stood up quickly; avoiding eye contact with everyone. She threw on her leather jacket so people wouldn't ask questions; not needing to get known as the Winter Fairy and the injured one. It was the second day, and she was bleeding already. She moved to the door rushingly.

No one followed behind her, or at least she hoped so.


	6. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 2: 𝕹𝖔 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 (2)

Eira tries her hardest to dodge people on her path to the suite, but it doesn't work. 

Everyone stops and asks her about herself; the glorified ice queen. It's disturbing, frankly. She's not an animal, and she's frustrated because these people keep interrupting her. One asked her for her autograph, another wanted information, and the others? They just decide to either flirt with or befriend her. Eira doesn't befriend people who prefer her influence or popularity. The crowds that stop her are nowhere near friend material. Eira feels herself getting snappy. She just wishes to go back to her dorm to clean her arm, change her shirt, and end the bleeding; you know, the usual.

"Eira."

The boy, after slipping away from his crazy girlfriend, follows the girl. He is here to apologize; he didn't mean to lead her on. Overwhelming guilt lies in his heart from leading Eira on. He had planned on not getting back together with Stella, but the convenience of their relationship dragged him back in. People would call it toxic, but it's comfort. 2 years, that's how long the solace sat with him. Yeah, he thinks Eira's lovely; the beaming of her smiles, the glimmer of mischief in Eira's warm, icy-blue eyes, how she becomes lost all the time, and how she blushes at compliments. But it can't arise, not with Stella in the picture.

When Eira hears her name get called, and notices regret on Sky's face; she feels they're about to have an important discussion. This is it, she realizes. It was nice knowing you, goodbye friendship, a nice friendship down the drain. She is sorry to see it go, but she accepts it. Stella's been here longer, and Eira's only been around not even a day. Eira can't believe that she literally met him yesterday and already here they are ending their blossom of a friendship, maybe even a relationship. 

"Hey, Sky."

The two lead in stifling silence. Close to the courtyard of the school; they are about a 20-minute distance from the girls' dorms. Eira's heading that way because she has an open period before her next class. So, she is going to use her time; by wrapping her arm and struggling not to grow flustered for creating worry among her friends.

Eira feels uneasy. She doesn't appreciate people worrying about her, and she doesn't know why. It's maybe a habit; her parents fret over everything, and she doesn't like it. Eira doesn't need her friend's sympathy or Stella's remorse. What's done is done. Nothing can change what took place, and Eira wants to move from that. She doesn't bear grudges for long; she holds grudges for at max a week. That isn't long.

"Hey. You don't have to do everything Stella wants. There are other options. Don't do it just 'cause she's got a...strong personality."

Sky must not notice the blood on her Eira's, and she is thankful. That would be a catastrophe. She already has her whole suite worrying; she doesn't need Sky worrying, too. That would make a great icebreaker, huh? Hi, My name is Eira, and I got lured into the woods by your psycho girlfriend because I'm a good friend; oh, yeah, and I was attacked by a Burned One that's apparently been dead for decades. Great conversation.

"I'm not doing it for her, I'm doing it to be a good friend to Bloom. Bloom is doing it for pride, and I'm not letting her do something dumb. Plus, I'm not letting her have all the fun." Eira rolls her eyes. She lightly laughs, knowing they are going to get into so much trouble.

"What is your interpretation of fun?"

"Life risking things; I don't know," Eira says. She speaks flatly.

"So near-death?"

"Maybe."

"Two strong personalities. Got it."

"Clearly you have a type," Eira says. She jokes, and both of them laugh awkwardly. Eira knows he feels the same way she does; They feel something for each other, but they both push down their feelings. 

"So, um...yesterday, when I was...Well, when we were talking, I hadn't talked to Stella in months. I mean, yeah, we dated last year, but...we had a sort of rough breakup, and I..." Sky stutters. His voice is mellow and regretful.

Eira is disappointed, she'll admit. She loves speaking with Sky, even if they only talked a little. She is herself around him, the unusual ice fairy; not the uptight, anxiety-ridden, frosty freak. That was a common thing; frosty freak, I mean. That leads back to her trust issues. Only certain people bring out her fun side when first meeting her, and Sky is one of them.

Not to mention, she loves how giddy she feels around him. It's like a breath of fresh air. 

"And what?" Eira asks, curious, her tone gentle.

"And I just don't want you to think I'm that guy."

"Sky, we just met yesterday. I couldn't care less." Eira says. 

She laughs to get rid of the suspense. She lies, obviously; It makes it easier to let him go. It's been a day and she has trust issues. Yet she does care. But if she has to protect herself from getting hurt, not caring is the way to do it. 

"OK. That's... That's fair enough." Sky admits.

Sky sighs. He assumes it went well, but he will admit, her not caring kinda hurt. Like he said, fair enough. He is the one telling her they can't be friends. He thinks it's the right thing to do. He doesn't want to see Eira end up the same way Stella's old roommate did. 

A silence falls between the two. Eira takes in the sky-blues that stare back at her icy-blue ones. She feels lost in them, like drowning; never realizing how they sparkle in the light, or how Sky brushed his hand through his hair when nervous. Her heart flutters, and she snaps out of it.

Eira murmurs, "Um... Your situation with Stella seems... complicated, and I recently got out of a complicated relationship myself. My life needs less complexity, not more, but I'm here to talk if you need it. We could be friends, but I think Stella wouldn't appreciate that."

Eira leaves Sky behind, turning down another hall; Sky watching with regret as she retreats.

❅❅❅

When Eira turns down the hall towards the library, she crashes into Beckett.

He looks stressed and bewildered, like he ran a marathon. What marathon, Eira doesn't know. He seizes her waist to steady the both of them; they both awkwardly laugh. Eira still needs to clean her arm and wrap it, but being she got caught in that unpleasant exchange with Sky. It was a little delayed. Beckett releases her waist, and the two stand in silence collecting their composures. Eira then breaks the silence. 

"I'm so sorry!" Eira says. "I'm such a klutz."

"It's no biggie. Hey, are you alright?" Beckett asks. "You left kinda abruptly during lunch. It's not something your roommates said, is it?"

Eira is caught red-handed; not literal, but metaphorical. She remains still, a fake smile on her face. Her hand presses on her cool leather jacket sleeve and applying pressure. She suppresses her grimace. The pain was agonizing but she'd have to deal with it. 

"Oh, yeah," Eira says. "I'm fine, just forgot to grab some things from my dorm for classes."

Beckett stares Eira down with narrow eyes; analyzing her. Eira squirms under his piercing gaze. She hates when people read her, including mind fairies. At home and school, she gets away with so much, but here, it's not the same. Beckett's eyes scan her before stopping on her arm, noticing her discomfort.

"What's wrong with your arm?"

Eira sighs. She can't lie to him; being in too deep. He senses her discomfort and will most likely tell someone if she doesn't tell him the truth. Eira doesn't want to lie either; liars guilt, you know. She hates lying, a trait she grew up with. I mean, of course, she lies over certain things, like excuses, but she doesn't enjoy making them often. Many people lied to her, and it ended up hurting her. So, she has a valid reason to hate lying.

"I cut it when I was in the woods last night; gave myself some stitches. The stitches came loose and now it's bleeding."

"How come you say anything? Come on, I'll fix it up for you."

"Don't you have training?" Eira asks, sounding worried.

"I have a free period."

"How ironic, me too."

Beckett grabs Eira's good hand; dragging her behind him and towards the specialists' dorms. And by dragging, Eira means literally dragging. The halls are empty and quiet; besides Eira's echoing giggles. She laughs at Beckett's goofy demeanor, a side she's never seen before. Looks like they both have Deception to them. Eira and Beckett stop outside a decorated door, covered in pictures. Beckett places his hand on the doorknob; turning to Eira, smiling.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

Beckett pushes open the door, and Eira follows him into the room. He motions for her to sit down on his bed, while he grabs the first aid kit. Eira takes her leather jacket off, rolling up her long sleeve, and sitting on the bed. Blood coats the top of her arm; soaking through her sleeve and the gauze. After removing the gauze from her arm, she takes notice of the loose stitches.

"We should be good here; no one to ask questions. My roommate, Dane, isn't around often; he's normally hanging with his bizarre friends." Beckett says. He enters the room with the first-aid kit.

Beckett takes one peek at Eira's arm and grimaces.

"Ewww, that doesn't fucking look good."

"No shit, Sherlock," Eira says. She laughs. "That's why I need stitches."

"Well, you're in luck, because I have a nurse mom. So I know my stuff." Beckett brags.

"You're from the Firstworld?"

"Nah, my parents are divorced. My mom lives in Georgia and my dad lives in Eraklyon; I live with my dad."

Beckett speaks so casually, like divorce is an everyday thing. Eira can't even imagine if her parents were to get a divorce. From what she can tell, they seem happy together. She shouldn't have asked.

"Oh, okay, cool. Sorry about your parent's divorce; I shouldn't have asked. I couldn't even imagine my parents being divorced or even separated by different worlds." Eira says. She speaks apologetically, her face full of remorse.

"It's alright; it's a good thing. Now, let's tend to your arm."

Beckett cautiously removes the stitches from Eira's arm; her cursing the entire time. It's torturous, like riding it's a small world for hours. He pours alcohol over the wound, and the needle; moving the needle towards her arm. Eira looks at the needle unsure. As soon as Beckett moves the needle to her arm, Eira flinches away. Beckett notices this.

"How's life as the Winter Fairy?" 

It distracts Eira, she looks at him weirdly. What a dumb question. Before Eira can answer, Beckett puts the needle in her arm; sewing up the cut tight. Eira puts her opposite hand to her mouth to prevent screaming. The pain is unbearable. She doesn't even remember doing her own stitches last night, but this feels worse. She remains still, tears streaming down her cheeks, recoiling at the shooting pain.

"You're doing great," Beckett says, comforting.

When Beckett removes the needle and tying off the stitches; Eira sighs at the throbbing agony in her arm and wipes the tears from her cheeks. Beckett runs a clean cloth with soap and water over her arm carefully, and Eira sits still. The crusted blood from her arm rubs off gradually. When Beckett is done, he places gauze over the stitched cut; sighing.

"Looking good," He grins, looking proud.

"Thank you so much!" Eira says. She laughs."If had done it again, I probably would have bled out."

Eira thinks about how grateful she is that Beckett was there. She didn't want to go to the nurse, and she especially didn't want to bleed out then and there. He's been nothing but kind to her, and she feels their trust slowly building. He is fun to hang around too, always gets her sense of humor. 

"Anytime." Beckett checks his watch. Urgency rushing in his tone, "Shit, you and I both have classes in 5."

"Ahh! I need to grab a new shirt." Eira says. She hops from the bed at lightning speed, frantically.

"Here!"

Beckett throws one of his t-shirts at Eira, and Eira removes her bloody shirt, putting on the oversized t-shirt over her bra. They rush out of the door, down the hall, and towards their destinations.

"Where are you heading?" Beckett asks. "Wait, hold on. Put your number in."

Beckett pulls out his phone and the two exchange numbers.

"I'm in classroom D4," Eira says, turning to Beckett. "See you later?"

"I'll be at the training area. See you then." he smiles and winks.

Then the two continue their separate ways, and Eira smiles.

❅❅❅

Eira planned to meet Bloom at the dorms, but Bloom had a change of plans. So now, Eira walks on the stone path towards the specialist training grounds. She and Beckett texted to meet there, so when he's done, they could go to the library. Eira wants to study books about Winter Fairies, and Beckett wants to help. Turns out his grandma is a water fairy and loves telling him stories about Winter Fairies. So he has an automatic fascination with the powers. It is kinda cool, because Eira is learning things from him that she didn't even know. 

The path towards the training grounds is...well, interesting. Lush and shadowy bushes surround a part of the pathway, and it breaks off into light flowers that grow around the sides of the pathway. A couple of dark, worn benches scatter here and there. The sun shines into Eira's eyes, so she lifts a hand to shade her eyes. Her footsteps scrape against the stone and crunch against the dry leaves.

When she reaches the lawn, It's empty of all first-years, besides Beckett, who messes with a bow staff. Eira's a little late, and she sees the lawn is filled with second years. She spots Sky, who talks to the brunette from the first day. Her attention switches to Beckett.

"Becks! Hey!" Eira yells, catching Beckett's attention.

Beckett spots Eira and smiles.

He lowers the staff and walks to put it back on the rack; grabbing his duffle from the bench. His face is drenched in sweat, and his black hair flops in his eyes. He walks over to Eira, throwing his arm over her shoulder, smiling down at her.

"Frosty the Fabulous Fairy." he greets.

"Eww, Becks, you're all sweaty."

Eira shivers in disgust, laughing. She removes his arm from around her shoulder and wipes some sweat from the back of her neck. She punches his shoulder, playfully. 

"Well, I just got done training. Didn't I?" He says. He laughs at Eira. "Besides, you're going to deal with me, because to the library we go."

They walk down the long stoned sidewalk towards the doors of the school. 

Off in the distance, Sky watches the exchange; regret rests on his face. He wants to at least be friends with the girl, he really does, but with Stella and her jealousy, it wouldn't fly. Eira's a joy, with her bright smile and grace. Who wouldn't want to be near her? Something settles in Sky's stomach, making him feel sick, and Riven realizes something.

"You're jealous!" Riven says, mockingly.

"Am not."

"Don't even lie. You don't even look at Stella that way."

"What way?"

"Like she's the world."

And that's when Sky realizes he has a problem.

"I might've made a mistake."

He fancies the Winter Fairy...and he might've ruined his only chance with her.

❅❅❅

"I spoke with my contacts in the other realms. No other sightings of Burned Ones."

Saul Silva and Farah Dowling are in the headmistress's office arguing about how to handle the Burned Ones. The room is dark and deceiving. Light barely crept in from the front office. Plants rest on the windowsills, taking in the minimum of light. Dust covered books rest on Farah's desk, as she researches. 

"So ours was just a fluke?" Farah asks. She walks towards Saul. 

A fluke is what she hopes, but with Rosalind... They have to expect the unexpected. 

"Maybe, but it's a dangerous fluke." Saul pauses in thought, "The capitol's prison is more secure than ours, and the queen would scan its memories if you asked."

The Heads of the school contemplate the welfare of the students. They both know the truth but refuse to accept it. The Burned Ones are back, and how many? They will never know. 

"This is my school, Saul."

"Yes, it's a school, and there's already gossip," Saul says. "And it's only a matter of time before the kids cross the Barrier to find it."

Farah looks like she's thinking about it. 

"Please, let's do this right," Saul says. "Let me arrange with the queen's army to transport it safely."

❅❅❅

Beckett and Eira sit in the library.

A comfortable silence falls between them; the library empty. Eira blows dust off of one of the worn covers, causing the pair to cough. The name 'Ancient Ruins of Otherworld' written on the front. Apparently, school is like Eira thought; boring. No one reads here. There isn't even a librarian. It's take your book, and run.

Torn curtains cover the windows, making the room look dark. Dust lines the velvet red walls. High chandeliers hang from the ceiling, swinging in the air. The long lines of shelves surround the pair as they hunch over books. The table under them is a plank of nice mahogany wood and is coated in scratches. The dark purple carpet covers the floor, creating static against Eira's rubbing feet. 

Eira's head pounds as she inhales the smell of ancient paper. She inhaled a lot of dust. She doesn't understand; the books had nothing in them. They've checked books front to back and there is nothing. Did the Winter Fairies not exist? Is she just absurd? Are they a myth? Is she the only one?

"What are we looking for?" Beckett asks. He rests his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on the dust-coated table.

"Something about my powers. I need to learn why I couldn't heal my wound yesterday."

"What about this book?" Beckett picks up a book that says 'The Powers of Winter'. The dusty cover engraved in snowflakes. 

"Brilliant." Eira smiles. 

Beckett slides over the book, and Eira goes to open the first page, but she is caught in her tracks.

'DING,'

Eira looks at her and sees a message displayed across the lock screen. 

BLOOM: They're moving the Burned One. We're getting the ring now. 

"We're going to have to postpone this research session."


	7. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 2: 𝕹𝖔 𝕾𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊 (3)

The Woods.

That's where the Burned One is being kept. And where Eira said, hours ago, she is going to avoid.

But where's the fun in that?

Little Miss Air Fairy paraded around the library, and Eira didn't trust her, so she kept her voice low out of distrust, telling Beckett about everything... the Burned Ones, the plan, the scratch. He wanted to come with Eira, but Eira was too worried. That would be another person in danger, all because of Stella's mistake. Beckett said he didn't care about the danger, but Eira was relentless. Becks eventually gave in, saying he's on standby as first aid if Eira needs it.

Eira is grateful. First aid isn't really her strong suit.

The girl now hikes to the edge of the woods, taking her time. Sun close to nonexistent, hidden behind churning clouds. The path is quiet as always; besides the occasional claps of thunder. The rays that peek out from behind the clouds, warm Eira's skin. Grass under her feet sticks to her combat boots, dampening them. Every step, Eira kicks rocks hidden beneath the luscious green grass. She pulls her smooth leather jacket tightly around herself to combat the whistling wind. Her hands a frosty white color; covered in ice.

Eira catches up with Bloom, Aisha, and Stella, looking guilty. She feels bad about being absent all day, but it seems she wasn't the only one. The girls walk with their backs to the mossy stone structure of the school, hiking the path, stepping on crunchy leaves as they went. Stella looks annoyed as she dirties her boots, and Aisha tucks her hands in her pockets. Bloom looks deep in thought. Eira will admit, they look like the off-brand Powerpuff girls.

"Sorry, I'm running behind. I was with a friend."

"You're not late, I don't see Musa or Terra here," Stella says. Her face showing annoyance.

Eira ignores her, falling in line with Aisha at the end.

"So, what's the plan, Army Barbie?" Aisha asks

"Oh, nice one." Eira laughs. "Really, what's the plan, 'Sunny with a chance of thunder'?"

Stella scoffs, "Bloom, I'm curious. Did you ask Aisha to come? I don't think you did. If you didn't ask Aisha to come, and I didn't ask Aisha to come... It's official. No one asked Aisha to come, and why are you even here, Eira? We all know you'd rather be flirting with that specialist boy. "

Eira rolls her eyes, "How d'you even know about that? We talked for like 20 minutes, and we don't flirt, we're friends."

"Word spread fast around the school, especially when a fairy is found meeting on the specialist grounds."

Eira rolls her eyes. "I asked Aisha to come. You and Bloom are both reckless—no offense—and I don't want to deal with that on my own. Plus, we need all the help we can get."

"Thank you," Aisha says pointedly.

The girls approach the line of the woods, and Eira's temper inflates. Ice coats her hands tightly, like a cocoon to a metamorphosing caterpillar. Nerves shoot through her stomach, like they would when walking on the street alone at night. Her nerves emit an aching pain in her head. Thunder rumbles in the distance, causing the ground beneath the girls to quiver. Trees and grass sway sharply in the churning winds. The overhead veils cast a looming shadow. It screams horror.

"You don't have to be here, Aisha." Stella pushes.

"This is idiotic. You need me." Aisha says. "Eira can handle her own, but as she said; we need all the help we can get. What are you going to do? Dazzle it with light while Bloom struggles to light a fire?"

"I'm right here," Bloom says, offended.

Eira crosses her arms, leaning up against a tree. Her dirty-blonde hair dangling in her face. She nods at Aisha's statement. They need all the help they can get, but can't tell more people out of fear of getting in trouble. Besides, she refuses to be the only person able to defend them. That would be a nightmare.

"I fixed her," Stella says.

"Negative emotions are unreliable. They have limits. Your method won't help her in the long run." Aisha debates.

"Neither of you are helping right now. Can we please just do this?" Bloom asserts.

"What Bloom said," Eira says, rubbing her temples.

Eira feels her annoyance spike at the girls' bickering. She wants to get in and out; not listen to the squabbling girls all day. Of course, the girls apparently have other ideas. She looks up from her spot, leaning up against a tree. Musa and Terra approach the rest of the girls. Terra looks joyful, as always. Musa walks cautiously, her backpack slung over her back. When they reach Eira, Bloom, Aisha, and Stella; Eira pushes away from the tree.

"Oh wonderful, everyone's calm and collected," Musa says, speaking sarcastically.

"Finally!" Stella says.

"Sorry. I needed help with the Zanbaq. We're all good now, though." Terra says. She holds up a little bottle of amber liquid.

"Oh, joy," Eira says sarcastically. "Let's get this shit-show on the road."

"Do we know where the barn is?" Stella asks.

"Um, yes. North. There's this little stump that looks like an old..." Terra says.

"Show. Don't tell."

"Oh."

The girls cross over the barrier, their footfalls echoing. Birds chirp in the background, cawing at the howling wind, flying away. The barrier shimmers a transparent violet color. The shadows of the tree branches fall over the suitemates. Eira's nervous, the darkness of trees adding to the stress. She hates how they loom over them, looking deceiving. The feeling of hatred towards the unknown darkness of the woods builds in her chest.

Hatred; that's what the darkness fuels.

❅❅❅

Humph.

Eira groans as she hits the floor, her foot caught on a tree root. Her knees are covered in dirt, and her hands grip the pine needles under her hands. A spot of dirt coats her face, but she doesn't bother clearing it. The girls look at her worriedly, and she brushes them off. Eira has the urge to lie on the ground and not get up, but that isn't an option. So she rises, looking up at the structure in front of her.

Vines line the side of the old rickety brown wooden building, and trees surround the barn, secluding it from the world. Shadows of the branches cover the building, and the little rays of light hit the metal roof, causing the alloy of the roof to shimmer. The girls line up on the slope above the barn, facing it, and stopping. They look at each other in confirmation and then move towards the barn.

Musa looks away from the girls, zoning out, looking north of the barn. She glides away from the group as the rest of the girls move in the opposite direction. Terra notices, along with Eira. Musa looks zoned out, her eyes blank. She looks almost zombie-like strolling.

"Musa?" Terra asks.

Musa's eyes glow a violet color, looking like a ring of lavender defined by the sun. She slouches with her hand wrapped around the strap of her backpack. Wandering the opposite way of the barn, Terra follows the girl with little hesitation. Eira looks between them and the group of girls standing by the barn doors.

"Guys! Be careful." Eira calls to the trio at the barn doors.

She follows Terra and Musa, her hands tucked in her pockets. The other girls look to have it covered by the barn, so she figures she would be good to help over here. Musa, Terra, and Eira move away from the barn heading North. Musa still in her trance.

"Musa, are you OK?" Terra asks.

"Musa?" Eira asks, snapping next to Musa's head.

Musa smacks Eira's hand away, stopping in her tracks. "I don't know. I feel something."

"What is it?"

Musa swiftly doubles over in pain, clutching her stomach. She groans, "It hurts!"

"Musa? Musa!" Eira calls. "What hurts? What's going on?"

Eira gets no response. She rests a comforting hand on Musa's shoulder, while Terra rubs Musa's back. Terra and Musa look towards the scene to the left of them. When Eira looks up, she feels pure terror; her face whitening as pale as snow. Her hands shake and she holds her breath, afraid breathing would worsen this nightmare.

"Guys? We've got a problem." Terra yells.

Aisha and Stella race out of the barn, meeting the girls. They stand side by side, looking at the destruction in front of them. A massacre.

All of them carry looks of terror.

Eira took in the scene in front of them, fearfully. Men lay dead, scattering the woods, hidden in shadows and under present sun rays. Limbs are mangled, clothes are torn. Weapons scatter the area, not of use. The clouds hang over the sky, casting a murky, menacing shadow. Armored trucks park on the gravel path 50 feet away, exhaust floating behind them.

"The Burned One." Terra sputters. Her expression is full of worry.

"It's still here somewhere," Stella says slowly, her expression blank.

"No shit, sherlock." Eira panics.

"Someone's still got their attitude."

The girls notice movement by a couple of trees. A man, Mr. Silva, leans against a tree in the middle of the massacre, shifting positions. His wounds spill crimson, covered in black dust. Eira avoids the scene by looking at her feet, scared. She is forgetting something, but she doesn't know what. Wait... Where's Bloom?

"That's Mr. Silva. And who's that?" Terra says.

Eira's head shoots up from her feet, her hair flying over her shoulder. Her blue eyes narrow, looking through the fog at a figure sprawled against a rock across from Mr. Silva. She drives her focus to the unknown man, he looks battered and bloody. Her eyes widen in terror with realization.

That's what she forgot. These men are defenders and specialists, and Mr. Silva is here, which only means one thing...

Her Dad.

"Oh, my god!" Eira's hands slide to cover her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "Dad!"

Eira scrambles to her dad, who leans against a rock unconscious. Tears stream down her face as she studies his features. He is covered in blood, cuts, and shreds lining his body. His brown hair falls messily in his face, eyes closed tight in agony. Black veins line his body, like ink in the bloodstream. Black char blankets the cuts.

A look of anguish covers Eira's features. She shakes her head in denial. Her hand's tremor as she crouches next to him. Knees digging in the dirt; her blonde hair falls into her eyes, and she stares at him with identical cerulean eyes. Her hands clutch his shoulders.

"Dad! No. No—No!" she screams, grief pouring from her throat.

Tears cover her cheeks. Grief overwhelms her chest, tightening it. Her will to breathe slows and her head feels light. She chokes back a sob. This can't be happening, this can't be happening. Mark Wynter, Dad, is supposed to live. The great fire fairy. He can't be defeated by anything. Why should a burned one be any different?

Mom! What's Genevieve Wynter going to think when she finds out her husband is in this position? Caleb? 15 years with a father, only for his dad to disappear? Eira would feel empty without him. He has to live, and Eira will do everything in her power to heal him.

Even if she hurts herself in the process.

Eira looks up from her dad, her hands raised at her side, palms up, feeling helpless. She's going to help him, but she looks up first to see that Aisha and Stella disappeared, and Terra and Musa approach Mr. Silva. He holds a sword towards them in defense.

"It's us, Mr. Silva," Terra says. "It's Terra Harvey, Eira, and Musa."

"I know who you are." He says. He winces as he moves. "Please get back."

"The Burned One's cut you and you're infected, but we're going to help."

Terra moves vines to wrap around Mr. Silva's arms, trapping him in place. It causes the sword to drop to the ground with a clank. He breaths heavily, almost in protest.

"OK. I've got Zanbaq for you." Terra says, she raises the jar of amber liquid. "It'll calm the infection, and we can take you back to school. I can hold his head, but I need you to pour it into his mouth."

Terra looks at Musa, but Musa blanks, staring at Mr. Silva with her eyes glowing.

"Musa? He's scared. I'm not. Focus on me." Terra says.

Eira moves her gaze back to her dad, zoning out of the girls' conversation. She grabs his rough arm with shaky hands. Her calloused, cold hands contrast with his warm arm. She breathes deeply, willing her hands to chill. It's not like they weren't already.

She watches as the cold blue mist creeps up her dad's arm, battling the inky black that rules his veins. Like light battling dark, day battling night. Ice vs Fire. An internal battle. One she hopes she's winning. 

The black creeps slowly up and away from his heart, and towards Eira's hands. She feels a shift; the black ink creeps up her hands and away from his wounds. Her heart speeds up, and her head lightens. She puts all her energy into it. She would do this for her mom, her brother. For her family. They can't lose her dad, and she won't let them.

Then the black is gone.

"Eira!"

Eira looks up from her dad. Musa and Terra stand in front of her watching her, Mr. Silva still leaned up against the tree looking less pale, the black gone from his eyes. Eira smiles, the veins are gone from her arms, her arms looking paler than normal. Ice climbs her arms, and she exhales. Her head is still light, her eyes a frosty white. She did it, her job is done. She wants to close her eyes, but what good would that do?

"Eira!" Musa snaps in her face, breaking her from her thoughts.

"We have to go," Terra says urged.

Eira nods in a daze, feeling accomplished.

An accomplishment, that is.

❅❅❅

"Where have you been?" Sky asks Stella.

Stella has just arrived from bailing on Aisha and Bloom. She stands on a balcony of the courtyard with Sky, looking terrified, tears in her eyes. Sky looks concerned. He had, of course, noticed the Winx girls missing from school. It was hard not to miss the dorm of girls, being his 'girlfriend' and the deceptive winter fairy are a part of it. Stella wasn't attached to his hip all day, and the icy blue-eyed girl wasn't parading around with the first-year specialist. The girls had to have been doing something reckless, as presumptuous fairies do.

"I tried to get my ring, but that thing got loose," Stella explains, panicked.

Sky's nervous about all the girls, he won't lie. But he's more worried about Eira. As much as she hides behind her sarcasm, Sky's known her for not even a day and knows she uses sarcasm to hide her distrust. He knows Eira is hiding something from earlier, and he wishes it isn't something that puts her at risk. He hopes she is as far away from the Burned One as possible, or maybe confined in the school safely.

"What? How is..." Sky stammers, he thinks to Eira before catching himself. "How are you?"

"I got lost. Then my magic wouldn't work..." Stella says hysterically crying.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey." Sky comforts. "I'm... I'm sorry. You're back now. Tell me everything that happened."

Stella doesn't get the chance to answer with the commotion that comes from the indoor courtyard below them. They hear the dragging of feet below them, so both of them turn their vision to the commotion. The trio of Winx girls that got left in the woods enters the courtyard. Musa, Terra, and Eira drag two bloody men between them. Sky doesn't recognize who they are until he focuses on the man with a tear in his side, who limps in between Terra and Musa.

"Is that Silva?" Sky panics.

Sky and Stella run down from the balcony, seeing the girls rush into the indoor courtyard, shouting orders.

Eira's dad is now conscious and limps at her side. He leans on Eira, trying to keep his balance. With the Black veins gone, Mr. Wynter can walk more freely but still limps because of the tear down his front. Eira pants at the extra weight, her unkempt hair tumbling in her eyes. She looks as pale as a winter's day, her hands cold to the touch. Her body aches like she has run miles.

"I need a medkit from the Bastion," Terra shouts over the chatter. She and Musa drag Mr. Silva through the courtyard, his boots scraping on the stone floor.

"I'll get the headmistress," Beatrix says, panicking.

"Dane, help us carry him to the greenhouse. Someone help Eira!" Terra orders.

Dane helps Terra and Musa grab Mr. Sliva, while Riven and Beckett rush to help Eira with her dad. They all struggle to carry the weight of the men. The girls breathe heavily, like one would when running in 80-degree weather. They clear out of the indoor courtyard and rush towards the path to the greenhouse.

"Nearly there, Mr. Silva. Sam, get Dad."

"Dad?" Musa asks. She stops in her place, looking between Terra and Sam, confused.

"He's my brother," Terra says.

❅❅❅

"You saved his life. I'm so proud of you." Professor Harvey pats his daughter on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad."

Terra, Eira, and Sky scatter around the greenhouse, all for different reasons; each one looks troubled. Eira, because her dad sits on a stool getting his wounds wrapped. Terra, because her dad needs her help. And Sky, because his father figure now sprawls on a table getting Zanbaq applied on his wounds.

"How bad is it? Can you help him?" Sky asks, he looks panicked. He tries to get a better look at the damage, but the teachers block his view.

"Sky, I'll be fine. Just let Professor Harvey do his work." Silva assures, groaning as his wounds are cleaned, and Zanbaq is applied.

"I should've moved it right away, had more soldiers." Headmistress Dowling says.

Headmistress Dowling looks concerned when she enters the room. She sees both men sat looking shaken. Mark Wynter sits on a stool in the corner, and Silva sits on a table. Dowling looks concerned. She didn't expect only 2 people to come back from the excursion. Mark Wynter wasn't even supposed to be there. He works as security for the queen of Solaria.

Something is going, and she has no clue what.

"Guys, could we have the room, please? We'll keep you informed. Go on." Silva commands.

Eira looks at her dad, panicked. She holds his hand tight as a school nurse cleans his wounds. She looks deathly pale, worse than she did 5 minutes ago. Her face is smeared with dirt from falling, and her hair falls messily pushed back. Her icy eyes welling with tears.

"Listen to them, Eira. I'll be right here when you can come back in." Eira's dad says.

Eira looks to protest but gives in, nodding slowly. "Okay."

"Go sleep, you used a lot of energy. You're looking a little pale."

Eira looks confused at the statement, feeling fine. Her dad laughs at her confused look, grabbing her hand. "You did good, sweety. Call your mom while you're at it."

Eira nods shyly, and all the teens head out hesitantly.

❅❅❅

"Eira."

"Hey, Sky." Eira lightly smiles.

The couple sits on a bench outside the greenhouse. Eira pulls her knees up to her chest, resting her head on top. Sky leans back with his arms crossed, staring at the white as snow girl. Her arms are as pale as a porcelain doll, and her eyes now back to their normal baby blue. Dark bags rest under her eyes, and her eyelids droop. Her dirty-blonde hair is coated in dirt and a lone leaf tucks in it. Sky reaches to get it, and Eira flinches at the sudden movement. Sky removes the leaf, holding it up for her to see.

"You... Uh. There was a leaf."

Eira laughs at his nervousness, "Thank you."

"Of course," Sky says before hesitating. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy." Eira mumbles.

"You don't look it."

"Thanks, way to make a girl feel better." Eira laughs. "You try lugging two grown men through the woods after being drained of power, then you tell me how you feel."

The two laugh lightly together, just enjoying each others' company.

"You know, that was pretty badass of you. I've seen some of our other specialists freak out in smaller situations."

"It was nothing."

The two sit in the silence, taking in the chilling breeze. Trees in the distance sway, and the light chattering of the adult's murmurs through the air. The sun, sets slowly, radiating a golden hue across the edge of the sky. It looks like a scene from the heavens. The moon, barely visible, sits above them. Dark clouds float away, leaving the blackening hue.

Eira sighs, "I'm sorry."

Her hands wrap around her legs, and her chin rests on her knees. She looks up at the beautiful scenery before them, and back at Sky. 

"For what?"

"Getting in the way of your relationship, and for saying I didn't care. I do care, and your friendship means a lot even if it's just a friendship."

"Don't apologize for that, It's fine. And I would love to be friends, even if it's friends."

Eira smiles, "Alright."

"Good." Sky smiles back.

That night, the two have something in common.

They both stress over their families... and sleep in different rooms. Let's just say, Stella and Sky ruin Eira's night. But Beckett makes it just a little bit better.


	8. 𝕰𝖕𝖎𝖘𝖔𝖉𝖊 3: Heavy Mortal Hopes

Dirty-blonde locks cascade down the cotton pillowcase as the icy-eyed frosty fairy leans on her arm, raising her head from the pillow. The sun shines through the crack of the curtains, highlighting her features, making her look angelic. She licks her lips, trying to relieve the dryness from the lack of water, the corners of her lips upturned as she smiles. She smiles at the boy who stands by the door, feet away. His specialist uniform clings to his chest, him standing tall. His black hair falls in his cocoa eyes, and he drops his training bag on the floor with a bang, walking towards the windows.

The boy throws open the grey curtains, causing the icy-eyed fairy to wince. The sun illuminates the room, brightening the looming shadows. "Morning, Wynter."

"Becks, why?!?" Eira pouts, throwing her head on her pillow. She pulls the covers over her head to shield her eyes.

Beckett laughs, walking to sit on his bed. "If I didn't drag you out of bed every day, you'd just sit here and mope, wouldn't you?"

"Maybe. I mean, do you blame me? I haven't really had a lively week." The girl mumbles, removing the blanket from over her head.

"Okay, yeah. I don't really blame you."

Eira's fatigue is a killer, and she feels inadequate for a lot of reasons. After helping her dad last week, she's been sluggish all the time, but that's not the only reason. One being, she's been locked out of her room for 5 nights this week alone. It sucks, and Stella seems to enjoy it. Stella locks her out for dumb things too, sleeping with Sky, wanting alone time, 'changing'. It's driving Eira insane.

That brings her to the now. Now, she has a bed in Beckett and Dane's open suite instead of the floor. And let me tell you, it's been heaven for the girl. She can't thank the guys enough. She had been sleeping on the couch and her suitemates floors in her own suite for days. The girls are not quiet people, so it's been hard to sleep. When Beckett found out, he invited her to stay in their dorm for the extra bed.

Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.

Of course, they got Dane's approval, and Eira accepted gratefully. She's been using their extra bed. The only thing is she has to hide from the RA's and Silva so they won't know, but other than that, it's been calm.

"You missed breakfast, by the way." Beckett informs.

"Sleeps more important."

"Don't you have friends to meet? Classes to go to?"

Eira sits up, slouching forward. "Do I? Friends? Maybe. Classes? Not mandatory."

"God, you sound like Riven."

"Who?"

"Riven, second year specialist. You'll meet him tonight."

"What's tonight?" Eira asks, her head tilted.

"The Senior Specialist Party."

"Oh yeah." Eira sighs. She pauses before speaking into the silence. "What time is it right now?"

"7:40, why?"

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Eira throws off the covers of the bed, tripping and falling onto the floor with a thump. She shoots up, hurriedly throwing off her pajamas, leaving her in a bra and underwear. She changes swiftly into sweats and a t-shirt instead of pajamas. Beckett watches as she scrambles.

"Stop looking, you perv." Eira scowls, playfully.

Beckett turns around to face away from her, "Don't call me a perv. You're the one who started changing."

"Whatever."

Eira, once dressed, pulls on her boots, lacing them up. She grabs her school bag from beside the bed, throwing her clothes and stuff in it. When that's done, she throws her hair up and puts her jacket on. Lastly, she slings her bag over her shoulders.

"What are you rushing for?"

Eira stops in her place. "I have a meeting with my dad and Mrs. Dowling in 30, and I still need to go to my room to get ready. Plus, I have Mrs. D's class at like 8:30."

"You still have time, chill." Beckett soothes. "I'll walk you."

The duo walk out the door; it shutting it behind them with a slam. Beckett tugs Eira behind him as her steps become slow.

"Sorry, I have had no sugar yet." Eira yawns.

"That's why you shouldn't of missed breakfast."

"You know I prioritize my sleep. You didn't figure this out, what? The 2 days I've been bunking with ya'll?"

"Whatever." Beckett laughs.

The duo walk down the corridors and to the Winx Suite; people watching and whispering as they go about different things, making Eira feel insecure. She feels a chill down her spine, and a twitch in her hands, making her feel uncomfortable. She and Beck dodge the pillars and avoid the kids leaning up against them. Papers and dirt litter the floors from the past day of classes. The sun illuminates the halls, and plants look brighter than ever. The dirt cakes on the windows, more noticeable, as the sun comes out.

Beckett breaks the looming silence, "How are you holding up?"

"About what? The fact that I saved my dad from fire demon venom? Or being locked out of my room all week? Or that I can't help Headmaster Silva?"

"All of them, I guess."

"I'm as fine as I can be, I guess." Eira sighs. "I saved my dad from some fire demon thing—whatever it's called—and can't help others. When I tried to help Terra and her dad with Mr. Silva's issue, it didn't work. Looks like I'm going to have to do some research. And I think I need help, but I'm kinda scared to admit it."

"Well, for one, you just admitted you need help. So, I'm open to help whenever." Beckett assures. "And it's kinda a good thing you can't help Mr. Silva or other people, because then you can't overwork yourself."

"I mean, yeah. I wouldn't be able to overwork myself, but then I'd have to deal with the constant pressure of feeling selfish because I can't help people I don't trust or know. Not being able to heal people is hard, because I know for a fact I healed my dad out of fear. I just don't want people to hate me." Eira rants.

Beckett bumps Eira's shoulder kindly, "Why would people hate you over something you can't control?"

"I just don't want them to think of me as selfish."

"Eira, that's not being selfish. That's just how your powers work."

"I know," Eira sighs, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "I'm so stressed, it's annoying."

"Well, don't be."

"Okay, therapist Beckett! That makes me feel great." Eira scoffs, rolling her eyes playfully. "That's definitely how stress works."

"I'm just saying! What I mean by that, is that I'm here to talk if you need to."

"Thanks, Special Agent Beck."

"Are you quoting Special Agent Oso?" He asks in disbelief.

"Maybe. It was my brother's jam as a baby."

"Well, back on track here; Anytime, Wynter." Beckett smiles at the girl. "You are one crazy fairy."

"Why, thank you," Eira giggles. "This is my stop. See you later?"

The duo fist bump, Beckett saluting the girl.

"Of course."

❅❅❅

"Look what the cat dragged in." 

Eira walks into the Winx suite after parting from Beckett, her hair in a messy ponytail and in the clothes from yesterday. She looks like a mess, but she doesn't really care. Of course, Musa sits on the couch and has to comment, scrolling through her phone with her headphones around her neck. 

"Have fun?" Aisha jokes. She leans against doorway of her and Bloom's shared room, raising her eyebrow suggestively.

"Seems like it, Is that desire I feel?" Musa teases.

"Oh, yeah, the desire to crawl into a whole and die. It's around a lot, so I would get used to it." Eira rolls her eyes, and plops on the couch next to Musa. "I would have fun if Stella would quit locking me out."

"You got locked out again? You should really report that to the RA." Terra informs, she stands by the bay window, watering the plants that rest on the sill.

"Why? She'd just bat her eyes at them, and then they'd give her her way. She'd probably convince them to move my dorm, being seniority or whatever." Eira mumbles. "I had to stay with Beckett again last night."

"Oohh." Bloom peaks her head out her door, smiling. 

"Not like that! He and Dane have an extra bed in there."

"Sounds nice," Terra says.

Eira laughs, and walks away, "Ugh. I'm going to get ready. I'll see ya'll in class."

Eira walks through the door of her room, leaving the chattering girls behind.

❅❅❅

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Eira sits in Mrs. Dowling's office, her knees pulled up to her chest. She wraps her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them. She relaxes in a chair in front of the desk, her dad beside her. Books and papers pile the desk in front of them, and plants sit in every corner. The sun shines in the windows, illuminating the office. Mrs. Dowling sits in a chair behind the desk, asking demanding questions.

"I went in the woods, found my dad, and saved him." Eira states. She hides her concern behind confidence.

"Anything else?" Headmistress Dowling raises an eyebrow.

"I went into the woods with my suitemates, we found my dad and Headmaster Silva, and I freaked out; out of panic, I removed Burned One venom from my dad's wound?"

"We need to talk about this, honey." Mark Wynter's identical icy-eyes pierce Eira's soul, his hair falling flat on his head. He shuffles in his seat in discomfort, grabbing his side.

"What is there to talk about? I just removed venom and saved you. It's not a big deal." Eira humbles.

"That's where you're wrong," Dowling urges. "This is a huge deal. If people find out, they're going to want you for your power. Keep it a secret. There is bad people out there, and they will do whatever it takes to get that power even if it means using you."

"So, I'm in danger?" Eira raises her eyebrows.

"Eira, honey. You need to keep it a secret." 

"Who knows?" Headmistress Dowling asks.

"Beckett and the girls. I'll make sure they keep it a secret, promise." Eira says, hiding the looming worry in her chest.

"Good. Class is in 20, I'll see you then, and well done." Dowling says proudly. 

"Thanks," Eira nods, smiling. "I'll be there."

Eira exchanges her final goodbyes with her dad, walking out to prepare for her next class.

❅❅❅

"Does he seem worse to you?" Sky asks Riven.

Sky and Riven finish sparing, staring at Silva who makes his rounds. Sky worries for his father figure, watching as Silva limps around the grounds, leaning on a staff.

"What? Riven gets a compliment, and suddenly, Silva has brain damage?" Riven jokes.

"Well, it has been a week since he's been infected." Sky says. "Maybe, I'm overreacting."

The boys walk over and sit on a bench under the shade of the trees. Stella sits there, typing away on her phone, ignoring the clatter of people sparing around her. The trees sway in the wind; the shade moving around. Smell of sweat and flowers wafts around the air.

"What do you think, Stel?" Sky asks.

"About what?" Stella keeps her nose glued to her phone.

"Silva. How does he look to you?"

"Fine."

Riven butts in, "Dr. Stella coming through with a zero-effort diagnosis."

Stella ignores him, looking up from her phone. "Are you training later, or are we hanging out before the party?" She gets's no response, "Sky?"

"Hmm?" Sky asks.

"He's fine. Professor Harvey still has him on the Zanbaq, right?" Stella assures.

"That just manages his symptoms. He won't get better until they kill the Burned One that attacked him." Sky says worriedly.

"And there are people out there looking for it. It will not get away from every fairy and Specialist in the Otherworld." Stella comforts. "I have class. Stop worrying." 

The yellow-haired blonde walks away, leaving the boys to sit on the bench.

"She must be mind-blowing, right?" Riven jokes. "Or does she do weird shit with her tongue?"

"What are you saying?" Sky asks, annoyed.

"I'm just trying to figure out why the fuck you started things up with her again." Riven laughs. "Like she's crazy hot, yeah, but the emphasis is squarely on "crazy". Also, word has it that little miss hot winter fairy has been sleeping in Beckett and Dane's dorm. Kick her out of her room, like you do to me?"

Sky feels a deep burning in his chest. Guilt? Jealousy? He dosn't know what. His eyebrows furrow, and he feels like he's being stabbed in the back over and over. "We didn't kick her. Stella said she was staying with a friend and that we had her permission."

"Dane told me otherwise." Riven taunts.

"Yeah, well, she can stay with whoever she wants." Sky lies. He hides the jealousy in his voice, but Riven catches it.

"Your just jealous, because a first year is getting some from the girl you want." He raises his eyebrows and teases, "They probably sleep together, huh? Her in those small pajamas."

"I'm with Stella, Riven." Sky sighs in defense, annoyance bubbling in his chest.

"Okay, okay." Riven says, raising his hands up in surrendering. "I would blame girl troubles for your shit sparing but...I know you and Silva are close. I'm about if you ever want to, like..."

"Um... I've gotta run, OK?" Sky interrupts. He takes his leave, walking away from Riven. 

❅❅❅

Eira sits in Mrs. Dowlings class, listening to Terra talk about earth magic. She rests her chin on her palm, gazing off bored. A bowl of water sits in front of her, and she moves her hair so it doesn't soak.

"So, it's like the perfect pear, right? What you want me to do.You know how if you ever want to eat a pear, It's always rock solid, and you wait and you wait, and it's still a rock, and then you touch it one second later, and it's all rotten mush."

"Ugh, I hate pears." Musa butts in.

"Your magic connects you to living things. Feel how they communicate to you.The subtle signals of nature. Pheromones, vibrations. You can give life." Dowling watches as Terra causes the Flower to age, but ages it too quickly. The flower grows before wilting, like an aging elder's memory or Eira's hope o stay awake in this class.

"But there is such a thing as giving too much." Mrs. Dowling walks around lecturing Terra.

"Too much is kind of her thing." Musa jokes.

"Which you can feel 'cause you're an exposed microphone on a windy peak. Think of focusing on one emotion, in one direction. Narrow the field." Dowling coaches Musa, and Musa's eyes glow a soft violet. She reads the emotions of the room, feeling every little thing. Like a telephone tower reading signals on a hill. "Good."

"This is actually impossible. Maybe it's a trick assignment." Bloom snickers.

"Maybe it's all the talking." Aisha rolls her eyes.

"Nah," Eira mumbles, sitting behind the girls. "It's about who can fall asleep faster."

"A fire that lays waste to everything in its path is instinctual and impulsive. What about when you need that fire to stop? Can you light a single piece of kindling and leave the others untouched?"

Bloom lights one piece of kindling, leaving the others bare. Mrs. Dowling smiles at Blooms progress, before moving on to the next student. She walks past Eira who sits behind Bloom and Aisha, to Beatrix who sits next to the dirty-blonde frosty fairy.

Dowling notices Beatrix manipulating electricity effortlessly. "Impressive, Beatrix. Keep it up."

"Got it, Miss D...Headmistress Dowling." Beatrix says correcting herself. As Mrs. Dowling walks off, she whispers, "Your Grace..."

Eira, Bloom, and Aisha catch it, and Eira tries to control her giggles. She shuts her mouth as Mrs. Dowling walks towards her.

"Ice, the isolated element. Dark thoughts and hearts ruin control. Light helps control the nimbleness of snow and heaviness of ice. Snow, like water, is unpredictable. It's delicate and bright. Can you maintain lightness? And can you change forms?"

Eira raises her hands of the bowl of water sitting in front of her. She thinks bright thoughts, times with her family, snow days at home, summer. With caution, she causes snow flurries to flutter from the bowl. When she gets the okay from Mrs. Dowling, she turns the snow to ice and they fall into the bowl with a clink.

"Very good."

Mrs. Dowling moves onto Aisha.

"Yes. Control. I get the idea." Aisha says. "I mean...I can do this."

Aisha raises the water from out of the bowl, she manipulates it to float around.

"Good, Aisha. However...single body of water, a mass of water, is persistent and reliable. Consider the individual elements that combine to form the whole. A drop of water...is unpredictable. Vague. Amorphous. Can you isolate it? Can you maintain that which fights form?"

Aisha tries to isolate a water droplet leading to it falling and the whole bowl of water exploding.

"Something yet to be learned." Dowling says. "That's all for today."

"You cool?" Bloom asks.

"Just tired." Aisha lies. "I'm going to go for a swim."

"Right." Bloom nods.

"Have fun." Eira says, with Aisha walking off. "That girl definitely ties her worth to her grades."

"What? Like you tie your self worth to your naiveness?" Musa says walking up.

"I'm not naïve! At least I don't hide from feelings behind headphones." Eira jokes.

"Ooh, burn." Terra laughs.

"I thought you were on my side?" Musa retorts.

"Sides?" Terra laughs. "I thought you guys were just stating facts."

"Oh, there're sides alright. Team Frosty Freak vs. Team Musa."

"I don't know what your talking about Mind Mixer." Eira smiles. "I have to head out for a little. See ya'll at lunch?"

Both girls nod, "Yeah."

❅❅❅

"It's just strange not seeing Aisha get something right."

"Agreed. Not sure why that makes you feel so obnoxiously guilty, though." Musa notes. 

"I know that you have to feel everyone's emotions, but you don't have to broadcast them." Bloom says. "Aisha's tired. Yeah. My parents think that Alfea's in Switzerland, so they Skype me... at 9:00 a.m. Switzerland time every morning..."

"It's 2:00 a.m. our time.Yes, we can all hear you."

"That's why I enjoy sleeping in a different suite some days." Eira says bashfully.

"Am I being loud? I'm trying to be quiet."

"Like an old lady unwrapping sweets in the cinema." Musa confirms.

"Or an air horn in a silent classroom." Eira laughs.

"But I'm doing fine at school, and so is Terra, and Eira." Musa says. Her eyes turn purple and turn to a boy walking past. She turns a blush red, and Eira and Bloom watch with smug looks on their faces.

"Where'd you go? Is it my turn to broadcast your emotions?" Bloom laughs.

"Oooh Musa's got a crush!" Eira teases. "Is that desire I sense?" 

"God, you're so childish. They're developing, plus there're complications. Do me a favor. Don't broadcast them in front of Ter..."

"I have a question." Terra asks. "Since when was it cool to be a nerd?"

"Nice to see you too, Terra." Eira replies.

"I mean, It's great. Amazing. Power to the nerds. But now it's cool to talk about fairy history?"

"What?" Bloom asks.

"Ter, it's never been cool to be a nerd. It's always been cool to not care what other people think." Eira mumbles.

"Well, like, you know, I... I like school. I enjoy getting good grades and reading alone with a cup of chamomile, but no one shares a Frickin' apple with me, even though... gross." Terra says.

"We're going to need so much more context." Musa laughs.

"Beatrix. I don't get what the difference is between her and me. Why's it working for her?"

"Uh, I have to go." Musa says. She looks in the distance. "Sorry."

"It's OK. I know why, really. It's 'cause she drinks and smokes and looks like her, and I'm..."

"You're Ter, Poison Ivy, Terra Cotta. The amazing Earth Fairy. Girl, you have the best control in our year. Don't doubt yourself." Eira encourages. "If a guy don't see that, screw em'."

"Sorry. Sorry. How are you guys?" Terra asks. "How is the search for the memory lady?"

"Stalling." Bloom says. "Does your dad have any old yearbooks?"

"Oh, maybe. I think I'll have to get them myself, though. He's busy with Silva. I don't want to bother him."

"How is Silva?" Eira asks.

"I don't know. Dad's been quite down, so I think maybe not... good."

"I can't imagine how hard that must be for Sky." Eira sighs. "I know they're close."

"How was your meeting this morning, by the way?" Bloom asks.

"Boring, and really quick. I was told to keep the secret, a secret. That means ya'll have to keep it too. Then I had to say bye to my dad, which was really hard. He has to go back to work for Queen Luna. Also, apparently, I'm in danger, but when am I not."

"You're not scared?" Terra asks.

"Why would I be?" Eira says. "I've got powers to protect myself, and I'll just stay under the radar until graduation. When I graduate, I'll just do what I was doing in the Firstworld."

"Plans don't always follow through, though."

"Even then, I will not dwell on it. What happens, happens."

Not Dwelling is a good plan, at least that is what Eira hopes, but of course, that's not how life works.


End file.
